Connections

Yesterday I participated in a "Descendent of Dorothy"  trivia contest.  My cousin Val organized this zoom event which included my five cousins, my two brothers and assorted children of all of us. We had people from Washington, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and of course Ohio.  It was a lot of fun and just amazing to see all the faces.

I had not seen some of my cousins for years, so it was pretty awesome.  My granddaughter literally did not know these folks even existed.  All of which speaks to the disconnection of family after the matriarch has passed away.  Dorothy Schell MacMillan was the grandmother of all of us and the mother of our mothers - Marge and Shirley.  She died in 1990 and we all have her in common.

She lived to be 102.  She was an artist and most of us have her paintings in our home.  She also loved to play cards, read ,  write,  watch C Span, travel, garden,  and eat chocolate.  She would go on vacations with us and I remember her drawing pictures, walking the beach and playing games with us.  She was - like my mother, like me - competitive. And like my mother, my sister, my cousins and me - she had an alto voice.

So I looked at the pictures on the computer of these descendants of Dorothy and was struck by the similarities we all have as  we laughed and played together.  There is supreme irony to the fact that only because of the isolation of this pandemic did we take the time to get together and remember again - not only Dorothy - but our connection as family.

In two hours I will sit in my living room and "attend church."  Once again alone and physically isolated but as we sing together, listen to a sermon and take communion experience a different kind of connection.  We are not descendants of a grandmother, but still identify as brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are on a journey that - as we live into our relationship with God - brings us into relationship with each other. We will greet each other on facebook live and share prayer concerns and YES - feel connected in ways that transcend the geographic distance.

All of which is - I suppose - a gift of the pandemic.  We are finding creative ways to remember that we really are NOT alone.  We are part of tribes  that share  values and help  to sustain us in times of struggle.

I am grateful for all the people in my life who remind me of connections that I can easily forget.