I think I’ve used this quote before but it just fits perfectly with today. “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom,” Marcel Proust.

Today my brothers and I and all our children and grandchildren gathered at baby brother’s house for our annual McMurray Fam Jam. We have the best time. If you listened mid-afternoon, our laughter was measurable on the Richter scale. All the children frolicked in the pool, rode the little electric riding toys, fished in the lake, played basketball and badminton. I’m grateful and thankful to see them all well and happy. I know we’re fortunate.

It was a beautiful day for giving thanks for our family, for celebrating our family’s love with a meal together. The Bible encourages gathering together for a meal. 1 Corinthians 11:33 reads, “So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.” My nephew’s son says the family blessing now at our gatherings. He prays like a seasoned pastor. I’m so proud of him. Now I’m home in a food coma. We had barbecue with all the trimmings and delicioius desserts and homemade ice cream. I am blessed with family and I’m grateful for them. I love them dearly.

Family is so important, whether it’s large or small, the love we have for each other is a special gift from God. We choose to be a family, doesn’t have to be genetics. We need to nurture our families and encourage our children to pass on our traditions. “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him,” Psalm 127:3. Family dinners bring family together, nurture cousin friendships, help keep the family bond strong. Sharing meals together creates lasting memories and give us a sense of togetherness.

A family provides a safe place for children to experience God’s love and teaches them how to love other people. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Jesus was born into a family and the family unit is precious to God. Love and devotion to each other makes us a family. This life we live is tough sometimes and we need our families to lean on to support us during sadness, to celebrate with us during joyous occasions. Families are the pillars of our strength.

I agree with what Thomas Jefferson said, “The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.”  

“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.” George Bernard Shaw