Families of Odd
Last weekend, we went to ROMP, a bluegrass festival. We stayed at a resort in Owensboro, Kentucky. (In what they called their ‘Tiny House #6’ which is a blog within itself!) But, moving on …
When we arrived, we were greeted by a grouping of ducks who were more than a little miffed we were taking their patio. They were quite upset we had no treats for them. Andy, our resident vet, said the junk food we consumed and were willing to share was inappropriate for the wild animals. The junk food was probably not too good for us either, but that too is a blog for another day. Anyway …
For the days we were there, the ducks moved from one area to another, swam in the lake, waddled around begging, and all in all were totally adorable. Right away, I decided the two adult ducks were mama and daddy, the fluffy headed duck was ‘Uncle Quacker’ and the white duck was ‘Auntie Honker’. They faithfully followed the ducklings and seemed to be extra guardians for the little ones. The unit moved together whether on land or in water. Though they were different in looks, they were together in spirit and purpose. They were family.
At the bluegrass festival, there were thousands of people. As a person who is a total nosy-butt, I wanted to ask everyone’s story. I didn’t, but I wanted to! I have seldom seen such an odd conglomeration of people. There were dyed in the wool, overalled red-neck bluegrass lovers and tie-dyed hippie types with flowers in their hair who were there to enjoy the folk music. There were ancients like the old man and me down to little ones toddling around with bubble wands. Everyone was having a great time if smiles and laughter were any indication. I saw no squabbles or fisticuffs. I didn’t even see any arguments among different family or friend groupings.
All had different ideas of a good time. Some were imbibing some ‘happy party juice’. Some of us were guzzling waters, tea, and pop – anything to keep cool. Some were dressed in – well, let’s say in some cases, clothes were in various stages of optional! “Don’t look, Ethyl!” as Ray Stevens would have said.
Some, like my grandson whose favorite hobby these days is eating, spent much of their time going to the food trucks. Others were impatiently toting around their instruments and looking forward to the post-concert jams. Some were tossing frisbees or footballs to pass the time. We brought cards and Blank Slate to play between bands. We were all doing our own thing – together.
In a way, we were family. We were a very large group of very different people. We were carefree, considerate of others, and civilized. I’m sure we had widely varying political and religious ideologies, but that didn’t cause problems.
Thousands of people, enjoying music, relishing life, making memories. Each was part of a whole. A family.
I sometimes think about congregations of believers. Common belief in God brings us together in love and unity. Or, that’s the ideal. How can I bless my own congregation to make them feel more like family?
How can I bless my own family to tighten the bonds of unity and love?
Some things to think on, anyway. I started to quote some verses from 1 Peter, but as I read, I found both 1 Peter and 2 Peter have excellent advice for healthy, godly relationships. The same thing was true as I read Romans 12 – too many rich words of wisdom to choose just a few! Study for yourself! Good stuff to learn how to be part of God’s family!!!
Blessings to all. Stay cool and pray for rain!
Kara Beth
