All in the Family

Recently we had a family gathering at our house. All of our kids and their families came for dinner... all except our son and his family in San Antonio (but we even skyped them in for some of the festivities). It's always quite the experience to have the whole clan together like that.

Well, as usual, I was running late because of church meetings. Dinner was scheduled for 4 pm and I pulled into the garage at 5 pm. I hurried through the door into the kitchen hoping my wife had thought to save me some food. The first sight was the dining room table. Various family members sat visiting at the table having finished whatever had been served on their plates. I was crestfallen.

I hurried in to look for any leftovers on the kitchen counter. Luckily my wife had ensured that I'd have two of her famous beef enchiladas along with some trimmings. I settled in to a nice meal.

By then the grandkids were laughing and screaming and chasing each other around. Toys were scattered all over the house. My kids and their spouses had lively conversations going on. My wife was fully entrenched in the conversations also.

At one point I sat comfortably on a couch surrounded by my family. Though they were each busy doing something else, they were smiling; happy to be together. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my granddaughter Jenna walking along as happy as she could be gnawing on my toothbrush. Somehow she had reached above her head into a drawer and pulled out whatever she could find. All I could do was smile and hope that she didn't come down with something from grandpa.

Now, I'm sure if anyone was on the outside looking in, they might think that what they were seeing was mass confusion. But not to me... it was simply family. Isn't family simply food, fun, chatter, games, joy, laughter, in depth conversations, supporting each other, spending time together, and yes, even sharing toothbrushes? I think so.

Well, all I can say is, I look forward to our next get together. I hope everyone has such moments in their lives. There is nothing like a real genuine family. No wonder one religious leader once declared: "The earth was created, that families might be" (Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, May 2000).