We had a party at my house recently. It marked a very significant birthday for my wonderful mom. My brother and I honored her by gathering all the family to celebrate.
And when I say all the family, I’m talking close to 50 people. They came from many miles away, traveling hours in order to be celebrate.
It was a glorious day of madness and mayhem and endless fun, with children running all over the place, guitars strumming tunes, people young and otherwise clustered around tables laden with food and drink, leaning in to hear each other, the walls ringing with so much laughter.
One sentence was heard repeatedly:
“We have such a great family!â€
And we do. Every one of these people are great people.
The funny thing is, as a group, there are many differences:
- Different faiths
- Different political beliefs
- Different careers
- Different educational levels
- Different geographical locations
- Different recreational past times
In a lot of families, any difference would be a division. So what makes our family harmonious?
It’s an easy answer: love.
We love each other fiercely, tenderly, protectively. It was what we all saw in our grandparents, our mothers’ parents, Glen and Irene Rothell. They were humble, sweet and loving. Their love showed in every smile, every gesture, every hug and kiss, every word they spoke or letter they wrote. They loved God, they loved their children, they loved their grandchildren. They loved their parents and honored them. They were honest, good, God-fearing, humble people.
Grandpa and Grandma were farmers. They weren’t famous. But their rich legacy of love gives them more renown than any spotlight, stage or newspaper ever could.
The day of Mom’s party, we felt their presence, even though they’ve been in Heaven since the early 1990’s. Their legacy lives on in all of us. It lives on in our love for one another.
That’s what I want my legacy to do, too. How about you?
–Teresa
Thanks to my cousin DeRenda for most of these great pics!
How lovely you could all get together and celebrate-thanks for sharing your legacy and the legacy of love that emanates from all of you! Blessings to you all and I’m sure you’re passing the torch of love to the next generations already!
Thank you, Jill. It was such a sweet day full of hugs and laughter. Some days make you more aware of the blessings you’ve received, and inspire you to pass those blessings on to the people you love most. Thanks for stopping by!
My pleasure!
What a great heritage to pass on. Thanks for reminding me of the foundation. Love. What a blessing.
I’m blessed with this wonderful foundation (maybe you were, too), but not everyone is. But thankfully we can leave our own legacy of love, with the Lord’s help. Thanks for stopping by, Sylvia!
Beautiful, Teresa. Thanks for the tribute; I have always been thankful for my parents.
Love you,
Mom
Thanks, Mom! More and more I’m thankful for our wonderful family!
Love you, too.
Such a good message in these times of political differences! Love will keep us together! 🙂
Yes! And we have our political differences, but love wins out every time. It’s a blessing I don’t take for granted.