It is impossible to ignore the fact that Christmas is just around the corner. Unusually for me, I'm already getting excited at the prospect. This year we could have three new family members at our table (okay, one still has to make his or her appearance so won't actually be sitting at the table, but, knowing our family, they will definitely be at the table in someone's arms). There is a very real chance that not only will all the family be together but that we will, God willing, finally getting to meet The Most Adorable Granddaughter#8.
However, despite having applied for time off work to meet Son#5 and his family at the airport when they arrive, DH and I won't be the first to meet The Most Adorable Granddaughter#8.
Sometime last night Son#3 landed in the USA.
In the next week or so he will be working in Canada, but because he had to travel so far (and for a job that will only take a few days) he took the opportunity to spend a few days with his younger brother who lives in Texas.
Today he sent a photo of his introduction to his niece.
I can't stop looking at that photo.
It's not just the absolute joy on her face that captivates me.
It's the sense of connection.
A connection that I suspect is deeper than merely knowing we are family. A connection that is psychological, emotional, and perhaps even cellular.
A connection that DH and I have experienced each time we have been informed of a new grandchild.
A connection we have felt deeply each time we have beheld our latest grandchild for the first time (even when that sight is digital).
A connection that draws us all together.
The Bible says that God places the lonely in families. There is certainly something God-ordained about families and the connections that we share.
Looking at that photo I can't help but think of my other grandchildren who have enjoyed extra special relationships with their uncles and aunties.
Over the years I have watched the beautiful connections between the younger members of the family with those older in years. Every time it has filled me with such joy and thankfulness. And now, as I look at the photo of Son#3 with his youngest niece, I experience it again. And this time it also fills me with such hope, that despite time and distance, we will continue to be able to share and enjoy the connectedness, the sometimes messiness, and even the sometimes chaotic of what is family.
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