Communion

I had to watch the movie, "Elizabethtown" again last night. When I saw it for the first time, I felt like it was foretelling something about my future. The plot: the father dies in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The son is sent to bring his ashes back to Oregon for dispersal. The son meets his extended family and realizes a kinship he didn't know existed. The son and his mother and sister return to Kentucky and join with the rest of the family and the town and the friends to mourn/ celebrate the passing of the father.

The facts were very similar, but the reality was so different. No memorial service in Tennessee. No reunion with the family in the old home town. But on the other hand, there were a lot of things they held in common. Friends and family came to the church to join with us. Aunt Meg and Uncle David and all the cousins and Frank and Julie and Susan and Kevin and the nieces and the nephew, all joining together. For us and for dad. There was a real reunion. People from Griffin, from Florida, from Tifton, from Dunwoody. IBMer's. Friends. Family.

There were parts of it which were sublime. I appreciated the service. I appreciated the worshipful nature of the service. We needed to turn to God. We needed to hear the reality of the Word being preached. We needed to listen to the music and sing the hymns.

I have received condolence messages from so many people who really don't have much connection to me, but still do, and still showed they cared. The good part of this aspect of life is that you find out that there are people out there who care, people you didn't really even know were willing to give you comfort. You find that you are not such a lone ranger. Kind words. Small hugs. Kisses on the cheek. Flowers. Food.

The essence of Christianity is contained in the act of Communion. The gift of life. The gift of spirit. A reunion of brothers and sisters and God, eating a meal which reminds us of everything God gives us. A picture of the family at the dining table. Together. Eternal.

In my mind, that is how it ended. On Saturday, we gathered at the property in North Georgia. We laughed and prayed in the sunshine. Low humidity. Temperate temperature. Sunshine. No clouds. The sound of the Chestatee River rolling past. A prayer and a letting go, both physical and spiritual.

Followed by a meal together. We sat together in the barbecue restaurant in Dahlonega and ate lunch together. We laughed and talked and thought and remembered. We thanked each other for being there. Many gifts. Little girls and brothers and sisters and cousins and aunt and uncle. Many gifts. Even a time to fish on the river again. Enjoy God's creation. And remember that even in loss, we gain, we live, we go on together with the gift of each other and the gift of family.

Life goes on. Love goes on. Family remains.