A Stranger in the Family

So, today, I went to my step-grandfather's funeral. It was an odd experience--like bein' on the outside looking in, watching a family be a family. I haven't seen any of these people since I can't remember when! It has been at least 15 years. I went in support of my sister, mostly, as she is the "black sheep" of the family. It was just really strange. Seeing how one man can, in a few generations, spawn over 100 people! And, seeing various family characteristics played out from one generation to the next--children who are now parents and I am looking at these kids wondering where I could possibly have seen them before. I saw them in their parents so long ago! It is the embodiment of 'history repeating itself.' I saw my step-grandma, my step-step cousins and my step-step-step sister. How many people have one of those? Talk about a family tree! My step-step grandma has already passed, so she wasn't there, but her children were. I always thought it was strange to have a step-step grandma, but I have grown into a down-home cultural view on this and I have come to see that your brother's sister is your sister, too, no matter who her parents were. So many people in today's world, as well as many people who were in that church today, do not see it as such, and it is a shame. All the talk of who was welcome and who wasn't and who's presence would merit police presence! How petty is that? If a man and woman divorce, and the wife takes the children; the husband remarries a woman who has HER children, to whom is this man closer? The children he fathered or the children he raised? And if you call a stranger Grandpa for years, does he become your grandpa? Why can't everyone just get along and realize that we are all sisters and brothers in God and ought to try a little harder to relate to one another as such. Especially in times like this. It is a time for divisions to be overcome. It makes it bittersweet, really, but it should be bittersweet. It should not be for drama or for show, it should be for real. One should not talk trash about a person one minute and hug them the next--unless it is genuine. It needs to become genuine and a lot more frequent for people to learn to forgive--not only for a day, but for a lifetime! Look what Jesus did to get our Father's forgiveness for us?? Who are we to deny forgiveness to someone we once called brother? Or sister, mom, dad, grandma or friend? We are called to love, so let's get to it already! (If my MOM can figure it out, certainly the rest of the world can!!)