Being "Open to Life" - Revisited at the Family Reunion

"I thank God that I've learned the most important lesson about 'being open to life' from a simple woman named Leona - It's WORTH it!" This is a line from a previous post http://kristhinks.blogspot.com/2007/05/being-open-to-life-its-not-always-easy.html , and was again reinforced yesterday for me. Yesterday was a family reunion for us. My mom's side of the family all got together on the same property that most of them were raised/grew up on as children. There was a big turn out. Needless to say there were many aunts, uncles, and cousins (second, third, twice-removed, etc.) there that I didn't even know or remember. I am happy that we went.





It was a shock to my kids' systems to see and be around so many (loud) people! We live so far away from extended family and we generally don't socialize with large groups of people, that for them it was a tad bit overwhelming. As for me? I loved it! I live for a loud crowded party of multi-generational folks all telling stories and laughing loudly. There was much laughter and some tears shed as well. It was difficult and yet also wonderful to see my cousins Mary and Ann there. They are two daughters of my beloved aunt Bonnie. Seeing them just triggered something in me and I shed tears just looking at them...





After a time, and lots and lots of brownies, cake, and cookies, my kiddos had "warmed up" and were runnin' around with the rest of the gang. It brought back good memories for me to see them chasing their cousins around the yard in between stops at the sweets table to "refuel". Uncle Bob and aunt Peg were there and the "Chicago clan" as we like to call them. I always love to see uncle Bob and aunt Peg. They have a special place in my heart. Gloria came too of course (my second mother) as she is family through love not blood. The individual families took turns gathering for pictures in front of gram and gramp's original grape vine (that is now huge I might add!maybe 25 feet long?). Gram sure made a lot of great jelly from those grapes. It was fitting that we should pose there.









He is the vine we are the branches. A family, like a vine, is judged by its fruit. So, there we were, the fruit, lining up in front of this great symbol. Grandma and grandpa planted that vine and now it has grown so large and it continues to bear good fruit. But what shall we do with the gifts we've been given? Will we let the fruit rot on the vine? No. We must allow ourselves to be crushed, pressed, and then offer up the best , the sweetest parts of ourselves for the benefit and service of others. This is the call of every family - to ground itself in the Lord - to grow and bear fruit - for each little one to be pressed and changed. Then to unite these efforts and produce great things for all to enjoy. I pray that each one of us can respond to this call.









We have been so blessed by the size of our family and the Catholic identity we share. We must never fail to see this as a blessing. Then we must go out into the world and share this good news - large families are not a curse or an embarrassing "accident" or a result of the ignorance of simpletons who lack self control (or birth control). They are a blessing and an opportunity to produce great things which benefit this world greatly. We should not be ashamed, but rather proud that we are part of His vine and that we have many many branches that can serve the Lord. We too often take for granted what gram did by dismissing her sacrificies as the work of a saint we ourselves cannot follow or repeat.









She surely is a saint now in heaven but she was just one simple woman who said "yes" to God over and over again. In the end the vine that sprung from Tom and Leona must be seen as God's work not simply their work. Gram MUST have known this and THAT is why she willingly CHOSE to have 13 babies. She lived her life to serve the Lord not Tom. His grumpy often over bearing nature can cloud this truth and make us all miss the higher lesson we must learn from Leona. She may have been submitting to Tom and as a result seemed to be allowing herself to be abused. This is a notion we reject as "modern" people on the grounds of dignity and justice. This is very well true - gram DID deserve to be treated with greater dignity and with far greater fairness. But she must have seen past her crosses and gazed upon her Master - the owner of the vineyard. He gave her the strength and the singular purpose she required to carry on with her work. And so, she produced much fruit and it was sweet fruit she shared with the world. Let us keep our eyes fixed on the Master of the vineyard.









When we are tempted to cut off branches refusing to produce fruit for fear or for self indulgence let us see the error of our ways. Every person at that reunion was wanted by the Lord - the owner of the vineyard. Every person, every child who ran around with joy, every baby in its mother's arms and in the womb is called to be here - to be good fruit forthe world.







This world is STARVING!
So let us bear much fruit and feed this hungry hungry world.