Relationships - a funny time machine

Lent, Easter, Pentecost - all have passed and summer is coming fast. Time sure flies when you're having fun.

One the most recent fun things I experienced was a family reunion in Oklahoma. It was Memorial Day weekend, and it was too, too brief. The Williams "cousins" met to celebrate the life of Great-grandfather Williams and his offspring - of which there were plenty. My Grandmother (Audria) was one of 13 children from his first wife. There was a second wife, who gave birth to one child. Then his third wife, Callie, had 13 more. In all, John W. had 27 children. This reunion was a gathering of the surviving children (and their children) of the first 13 and last 13 (the middle one has been lost over time).

There's an interesting twist in this family. My grandmother, Audria, married Ulus (sp?), or U. G. (Daddy Wofford).  His sister, Callie, was Great-grandfather Williams' third wife, making her Audria's step-mother, while she was also her sister-in-law. So, Callie was my Dad's aunt (on U.G.'s side) and his step-grandmother (on Audria's side). That makes Callie my great aunt and my step-great grandmother.

While I had never met most of the folks at the Oklahoma reunion, I felt a great sense of belonging, being related to both the first and last 13. I'm related to the first 13 children of John W. directly through my Grandmother Audria; yet, I'm also related to the last 13 children directly through Ulus being the brother of Callie.

Relationships are a funny blessing. We don't choose our family relationships, except in the case of our immediate spouse. Yet, we find ourselves cast into a mix with diverse people from north/south, east/west, mainline Protestants/Latter Day Saints, straight/gay, old/young. We shouted a mantra on occasions at our reunion gathering: "We are kin-folks! We are kin-folks! We are kin-folks!" From our arrivals to our departures, our fun, food, local tours, jokes, songs, laughter, tears - were all held together by the one main thing we have in common - "We are kin-folks."

Whether one believes in an original, unique Adam/Eve, or a symbolic original couple for humanity, the fact remains that "We are kin-folks!" Having just returned from this wonderful family reminder of our kinship, it was refreshing to hear our U. S. President this week, as he addressed the Muslims of the world with a tone that reached out for a common ground to Muslims, Jews and Christians (and certainly no intentional omission of others). Quoting from the Holy Scriptures of each of these branches of the family tree of Abraham, our President called us together in the name of Peace.

May peace come sooner, rather than later. We are kin-folks!