A family picnic

August 10, 2014
            Day 102

So today as I begin this reflection, I'll soon be heading to a family picnic.  It isn't with all of my family, and not just because some of them are dead, but because my family has never, ever been just one family.  We're more like a huge conglomeration of families, many of whose members are closely wound up with one another, and some of whom are less so.  And as one person gently reminded me, this isn't a family reunion, it's just a family picnic.

None of this is dysfunctional, by the way.  It's actually quite normal.  The older I get, the more I see how true this is.  We're all vastly different people who just happen to be linked by blood and marriage with a whole bunch of other vastly different people.  And that's...okay.

But I digress.

Today is a family picnic.  The exact participants are less important to this reflection than the simple fact that it's a picnic, and some family members are gathering to go to it.  The fact that none of us would have otherwise gone to a park and eaten outdoors today is worth mentioning.  So too is the fact that had this not been planned, most of us would not have seen each other today.  I suppose a few of us would have, but not all of us, and certainly not the large number who are going. 

So there's something to be said for the fact that this event, if you want to call it that, is already a success just by the fact that it's happening at all.  Kids may fall and scrape their knees, ketchup may be accidentally squirted all over someone's shirt, and a couple of bees might decide today is an ideal day to attack a large number of us.  I really don't know what kinds of negatives might happen today, but no matter.  Today is already a success simply because it's happening.  Some of my family members are getting together to see some of my other family members, and that's not just a success, it's a celebration!

It's a celebration of all we've been through together as a family.  It's a celebration of all the familiar stories and people from our shared pasts we'll reminisce about.  And it's a celebration of the fact that we're all still close enough to each other to want to keep these relationships active and special.

In just a few hours, people who have grown up with one another will come together to celebrate.  We won't be celebrating perfection, because perfection was never the goal to begin with, but we will be happily celebrating the many, many years we've all been blessed to know each other. 

So bring on the scraped knees, the ketchup stains, and sure, even the bees.  Life isn't perfect, and neither is my family, but for reasons I've never understood, I actually really like it that way.