A Time for Everything
"There is a time for everything...a time to be born and a time to die...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" Ecclesiastes 3: 1a, 2, 4 (NIV)
We buried Mama's oldest sister on Wednesday. Aunt Jo was 93 years old and 15 months older than Mama. Her given name was actually Mary Jo, chosen by my grandmother Mary and my grandfather Joseph. As a WAC Army Sergeant serving three American generals during the post World War II reconstruction of Europe, Aunt Jo was stationed in Paris when I was born. Mama chose "Jo" as my middle name to honor Aunt Jo. And for the first five years of my life, my family called me Donna Jo. Eventually the Jo was dropped, and I became simply Donna.
One of Mama's favorite sayings when we were growing up was "Blood is thicker than water." I always hated it when Mama said that, not just because of the visual picture that the words brought to my mind, but because my younger sister would usually protest Mama's words with "But my friends!" Mama would always respond with her same lecture: "Friends will come and go, but family is forever. Blood is thicker than water."
Mama's words came to me repeatedly Wednesday afternoon after Aunt Jo's funeral. Twenty-five family members from six different states gathered together for lunch at my house. My cousins came from Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama. Looking around, I realized that none of my cousins live in Birmingham, yet not one of them was missing. They all came to celebrate Aunt Jo's life and comfort her children. My cousins' presence also comforted me. In the midst of preparing for Aunt Jo's funeral and our family gathering, Mama's doctor recommended hospice care for Mama on Tuesday.
Wednesday as my extended family ate together, caught up on each other's lives, laughed and shared favorite family stories, Mama's long ago words weren't just remembered; they were felt. Blood is indeed thicker than water and family is forever. Two of my cousins pulled me out of the kitchen into my study and took me by each hand and said, "When it's time for Aunt Doris, we'll come back. We will be here for you, whatever you need."
King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, understood that God causes all things to happen in their seasons according to His purpose and His timetable. Solomon closes his reflections on God's seasons and our times with these words, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men." Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
Indeed, there is a time for everything...
Category – family
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