I Have Been Blessed

We have this devotional book that Mike got from the chaplain for Christmas when he worked at the jail. I'm not NEARLY as good as I should be about reading it daily, but I'll try to pick it up when I can. Today was one of the days.

As I was flipping through to get to today's devotional, the pages got stuck together on August 3rd. Curious, I decided to read it. This is what it says:

"You shall serve the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread and your water..." --Exodus 23:25

  "Four generations of the family are gathered at a beach rental house for a summer vacation. Not everyone is here at once. Some are coming for the day; some arrive for a few days and then have to go back to work.

  We never know exactly how many are going to be here for dinner. Getting a head count can be difficult. Carol or Mom or my sister or I make calls before going to the market: 'Are you coming tonight?'

  Beach time proves elusive for many, but everybody tries to make dinner. My niece has dished up Rice Krispie Treats topped with chocolate for dessert; my brother-in-law brings tomatoes he's grown in his garden; my sister-in-law has made a hummus dip. We come in from the sand, take a shower, change clothes, and gather as the sun slips into the ocean. The conversation bounces from subject to subject: what the kids are doing in school, the new dog, how work is going, baseball scores. Someone's making a salad, burgers are on the grill, zucchini is almost finished.

  Dinner is on the counter and we serve ourselves, complimenting the chefs. There are so many of us tonight that we can't all fit at the table. How did our family grow so large? Everybody's ready and the call goes out, 'Who says grace tonight?' Mike volunteers, and in a voice so loud it can be heard down the beach, he begins, 'Dear God...' We grab hands.

  I feel my eighty-something-year-old mom's grip in one hand and my teenage niece's in the other, the words of Mike's prayer ringing in my ears. Should we be surprised that Jesus first offered the gift of Himself to His disciples at a meal? In a beach rental, the generations linked, we give thanks for all we've been given. Soon we will leave this place, return to our homes. But for now we hold on to what is important: each other. 'Amen,' we say. 'Amen.'

  Lord, thank You for large families where generations can join hands and pray. Bless this food to our use and us to Your service. Amen. --Rick Hamlin"

All I could think of when I read this was our large family. The Virginia branches of my family got together today for an impromptu cookout at my parents'. Some pop in for a bit, others stay later. It's a little crazy when all, or even most, of my family gets together. Good crazy. I wouldn't trade my family for anything, and I am incredibly blessed to have been born into such a one as mine. You can't help but feel the love radiating from the house.