You met Marvelous Martha, AKA Marvi Marti on Friday, when she revealed that Holly Hunter would be the best to play her in a Lifetime movie of her life. Today, she is back to guest post for me.
Opening Your Heart, Sharing Your Table
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, bringing with it the start of the Christmas holidays. For many this is a joyful time full of family, friends and wonderful memories. For others it is a reminder of how alone they are in the world. For those alone, the holidays are not fun times. Maybe they have a spouse in the military, or are married to a cop or fire fighter that must work despite the holiday. Or it could be they are recently widowed or divorced, or a college student unable to afford to get home, or even a foreigner that finds themselves flying solo for the those special days.
Often when we hear the word fellowship we think of it in terms of a church family, coming together for 'fellowship' with other believers. But anytime 2 or more people are gathered together for a common purpose, even just visiting, it is fellowship. And fellowship grows our hearts in the healthiest of ways.
In the past our family has always been aware of those that are alone, regardless of the reason, and we try to reach out and include them in our gatherings. We're not perfect, you will not see us in a Norman Rockwell painting or in Better Homes and Gardens. We're loud, dysfunctional (though we didn't know this growing up), and our family gatherings tend to look like organized chaos...but we love each other and we have laughter in abundance. Our memories are happy ones that we make when we gather. Most of us have a tendency to take in stray people rather than animals. If we invite you to be a part of our gathering you are now family. Our family grows bigger every year because of this.
Our table this Thanksgiving and Christmas will be family, friends and strays, at least we hope so! We like adding to our numbers with those that don't belong by blood, but find themselves joined to us in the heart. We feel like we're missing someone special if there isn't a stray soul grafted in to our fold.
I not only encourage you, but challenge you, if you have never done this, find a stray. No, not a stranger as no one should risk becoming an episode of CSI or Forensic Files. But become aware, at the office, school, in the neighborhood, of those that have no one else. Start with the holidays but don't stop there. One weekend a month after we get past the turkey and stockings, and invite someone to share a meal with you and yours, to become an honorary member of your family. You'll not only enrich their lives, but your own heart will be blessed by your reaching out to fellowship beyond your family circle, when you find that blood is not what makes us family.
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