They were just dates, obscure places and shadowy moments,
Never entering my consciousness because while it was my history, it wasn’t my family tree.
THEN I MET YOU.
Our family trees fused in a kintsugi-like trophy of grace sealed by something more precious than gold.
Our lineages now interwoven in a new double helix – the DNA of a new humanity.
Headlines have become storylines. Injustices taken up as struggles. Laughter and lament the language of learning.
ALL BECAUSE OF YOU.
The road has been so hard. Everything around us so fragile. The only sturdy assurance being our faith and the resilience that comes from being known and loved.
And the road ahead is unclear, save for the sturdy assurance that the One who knit us together will finish the tapestry he started.
So we tarry together, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, emerging from a painful past into the promise of a future,
The mystery revealed that the real strength and beauty of what is to come will emerge from our varied histories coming together as His story is told through our common life together.
Every “holiday” has a corresponding adjective – merry Christmas, happy Memorial Day… But I don’t know what is appropriate for this day.
“Happy” doesn’t seem to cut it. Are congrats in order? Maybe a “with regrets”? Or a “finally”?
It all seems so insufficient. What greeting could capture the relief that arises from an ongoing pain that should not have ever been?
So, I’ll choose to simply say:
I AM WITH YOU.
And fill in the appropriate adjectives as we go along.
_________________ Juneteenth 2021, my beloved family and friends.
Juneteenth 2021
