On my solo long drive home, my
mind evaluated the last 48 hours. I had traveled to a surprise birthday party for my Aunt. The celebration of turning 80 is truly a milestone to be noted. The
gathering was more of a family reunion than anything else. Turning 80, I can
see where the best gift is being surrounded by your family. It reminded me that
heritage and family is the most important gift one can both give and receive. As I sat there eating BBQ, it hit me like a
truck, I really do like these people I love.
Our family comes from all
walks of life, we have all had been filled with tragedies and blessings. What started
on my grandparent’s farm in Tipton County, Tennessee has branched out in many
diverse directions. We are all different unique individuals which can be
directly related to the path our parents took off that farm. The only things
that binds us together is the love we have for one another. A love that is strong
and like nothing else. A love that does not judge but only accepts, welcomes, and
embraces. A love that refreshes, recovers, and restores us when life beats us
down. We are young, we are old, and time has worn us all down a bit. In our daily lives, we are almost strangers. Strangers
only in the fact that my cousins have no concept of the town I live in, what I’m
like at work, or how I spend my time nor do I know such small details about their daily
lives.
We say we only see each other when
we gather at the funeral home. Sadly this is a true statement but that is when
we need the strength of the love of family the most. When a single life has been taken from our
family, we come together. It is coming together at our worse that reveals our
best. When death and tragedy sting us, there is something powerful about coming
together as a family. Our family has a unique resolve about it. I can’t put my
finger on it but everyone knows it’s there. We have had more than our share of
tragedies, broken relationships, and setbacks. However, we somehow always have each
other’s backs. If anyone needs anything, many stop what they are doing and come
running to help. We have been tore up, messed up, and beat down but our family
is consistently there to pick up. If an outsider picks a fight with one, you
get the whole clan. It’s who we are. Love has made us all strong and tough.
It was obvious the years have dwindled
us in numbers. So we gather to reminiscence of the memories we hold tight and treasure.
We laugh at the hairstyles and play the
game of “who is this” looking over old photographs. We eat. We have awkward moments
when someone mentions those who have died, moved, or divorced out of the
family. We brag about our kids. We eat some more. Together as a family we have
battled cancer, addiction, loneliness, poverty, unemployment, and every other
ills of this world. We may fuss, cuss, and discuss but like everything else, together,
we move pass it. Then we eat again.
Unfortunately not one person
in our family is a billionaire. (If anyone hits ten digits, don’t forget me) We
started on a small cotton farm when a young man returned from the war and tilled
the ground and started a family. He worked hard to just to support his family
as his children picked cotton. That Liles
family grew and spread out far, wide and deep. The harvest was something money just
cannot buy. It produced acceptance, unity, strength, resolve and most of all
love. A love that may lie dormant until we gather again. A heritage that reminds
us all that there is nothing in this world better than family. We can’t choose
our family but God has blessed me beyond measure with the one I have. Because I
acquired a love and strength that the world can never ever strip away. Until we gather again.
