Family

Little sister graduated from university and into the big wide world this week. It was a great cause of celebration and a rare opportunity for us to spend time together as a family. We're often in far-flung places around the world, and the odd text or email is mostly how we keep in touch, so it was a blessing to find ourselves sitting down and eating together around a table. 

Food and community go hand in hand, something I've discovered many times before, but this time it was different. I remembered Rwandan family meals - the many brothers, sisters, neighbours and children that turned up to eat together. I remembered those families who were torn apart during the genocide, losing those closest to them, still grieving 21 years later. After Rwanda, family felt different - more special, more appreciated.

When the big wide world opens itself to you, it's easy to forget the people you grew up with; the people who looked after you when you were sick, or patiently endured your teenage rebellions, the family members who made dinner for you, day in, day out. Independence feels more exciting and daring than popping back to Mum and Dad's for Sunday lunch. But I'm realising in a season of quiet, where I'm waiting for the next big thing to unravel, that the preciousness of family community is something I've taken for granted in the past. 

This weekend we celebrated my gran's 75th birthday and the house was filled with noise and laughter. Small children a little bit related to me became new friends as we played with cars, cricket sets and ran around the garden in the summer sun. I chatted to a great-uncle who offered stories from the past, discussed future career options with my great-aunt and debated the importance of coffee roasting with my uncle and second-cousin. Conversation, community, family. In a way that I appreciated and valued anew. It didn't matter that we hadn't seen each other for years, or that we probably wouldn't see each other for a while more. We shared life and laughter together and that was special. 

It's easy to ignore the advice and wisdom of older relatives, thinking that you know best. It's equally easy to move to a big shiny city and only see people at the same life stage or in the same business. This season is teaching me to relish the people around me, and I'm so grateful to spend quality time with my grandparents and to know that they value this time with me, too. 

And where I could be impatient in wanting something exciting to happen with future jobs or plans, I'm attempting to do gratefulness - the sort that I saw in Rwanda when families didn't know what was ahead, but praised God anyway. Where there could be frustration at not knowing what's around the corner, I'm attempting to see the bigger picture and to appreciate the relationships with family members. It's something that I haven't done before. A lesson that's probably overdue. 

Family: noun. "A group of people related by blood or marriage."