The Circle of Love

Thanks to the movie "The Lion King", we are all familiar with the circle of life.  But are you also familiar with the circle of Love?

My earliest memories of the circle of love are from my Grandma Hank's house.  When I was growing up I would get to go to my Grandma's house when my Dad or my Aunt came in.  Since they lived out of town when they would visit everyone would come to my Grandma's to see them.  There would be aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who would just stop by my Grandma's house.  After supper (which was always the best fried chicken and gravy in the world), everyone would gather in the living room.  Everyone would be in chairs in a circle around the whole living room .  The adults would entertain me by letting me play hide the thimble or I spy while they were visiting.

They would catch up on what was going on in the world, in the community, in the family.  It was far better than facebook could ever imagine.  It was a time to share hard times that were going on, but more importantly it was a time to share memories.  I remember them telling stories of, remember when so and so did this........  I can still hear my Grandma's laugh.  She loved to listen and tell those stories.  How I would give anything to sit and listen to some of those stories again, to write them out for future generations.  

I had the chance to experience that again this weekend.  Brett and I spent 5 days in Wisconsin with his family.  His Mom, Aunt, siblings and a group of cousins.  This is a yearly tradition and I am so thankful for the opportunity to share in this.   When they can they rent a house big enough to accommodate everyone.  So much homier than hotel rooms and there is something about all staying under the same roof that brings you together.

We spent a lot of the weekend rallied in that circle.  A circle in the backyard enjoying the great Wisconsin weather.  A circle at night huddled around the campfire. A circle around the dinner table.  Stories and new memories galore.

Monday night, the last night before we left, some of us were sitting around the big dining room table. In that beloved circle.  Brett started asking some questions of his Mom and Aunt that he and Scott had not been able to answer earlier in the day.  Suddenly, everyone was in a big circle listening to these two monarchs of the family.  They both began to share stories of when they were growing up. Some brought tears and some brought laughter, but everyone in that circle was totally engaged.  No one was on their phones, no one was talking.  Everyone was listening, soaking up these stories of their parents, their grandparents, their heritage. I would say it was one of the best parts of the trip. Thank You Dalyne and Betty Fae for being so open and honest for sharing the past with us.

Does your family need to put down their phones for an evening and enjoy the circle of love?

Psalm 78:4 "We will not keep them from our children; we will tell the next generation about the Lord's power and his great deeds and the wonderful things he has done."