God’s Great Gift… FAMILY
A special thank you to guest blogger, David Appelhof, for sharing his love of the Lord and the blessing of family.
xoBecky
God’s gifts have been many throughout my lifetime. One of the greatest gifts is my family. Family reunions are a time to celebrate and give thanks for the relationships we share.
My wife, Diane, and I were married 46 years ago, a second marriage for both of us. Our blended family includes four children, ages 15, 13, 9, and 7. Our family has expanded to spouses, eight grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Diane and I are in our 80’s and are healthy. We live in a condo in Minneapolis. Two of our kids with families live here in Minneapolis, another in Florida and the fourth in Colorado.
Our Family Reunion
Six months ago, the kids decided to plan a family reunion to be held in late June. It was a wonderful experience for everyone! Of the 33 potential attendees, 32 made the trip to be together. Missing was a grandson, Ryan, who is an Army Ranger stationed in Alaska.
Our family reunion was held at a son’s lake cottage and a borrowed lake cottage. We spent four days together, eating, playing, and socializing. Our reunion included a Sunday night Vesper service, a pickle ball tournament, a scavenger hunt, a fishing contest, a talent show, and fireworks. Everything one could imagine in making a festive time for celebrating our family.
As wonderful as all the laughter, fun, food, and activities were, my fondest memory is from our first night together. At dinner time, I was asked to give the blessing. With all 32 of us in a circle, holding hands, I prayed with my family. I started with a request, “Would each of you look to your left, look to your right, then look across the circle at every person?” I reminded each one, “This is your family. It is a wonderful gift, especially to be together for these next few days. God is so good. Let us pray…”
In looking back over the years, Diane and I have been so incredibly blessed. This family reunion clearly defined in our minds what a gift it is to surrounded by our children, their spouses, and all our grands and great grands.
God is so good! Praise the Lord!
© 2023 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.
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A special thank you to guest blogger David Appelhof for sharing his thoughts and experiences to encourage and inspire grandparents to connect with their grandchildren.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash