The Joy of Family
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending an aunt and uncle’s 50th wedding anniversary. A foot of snow reflected brilliant white sunlight on a sixty-degree day that seemed more like Colorado than Missouri. But our location was obvious by the unmistakable eagles-in-As adorning every fixture at the Anheuser-Busch Center in southwest St. Louis County.
I cherish every Hennessy family get-together, but this one was special. There was no funeral parlor to visit, no Rosary at 10:00 p.m., no lights-on procession. This was all joy. We skipped straight to the party.
My dad’s eldest sister’s wonderful daughter Carol and her delightful husband Ed made it in from New York. They were like a personal gift from God to me, making a good day great. Carol regaled us with the evils of Hillary, the challenges conservative New Yorkers face, her irresistible happiness infecting the room faster than light. Ed’s banter, jokes, and wit left my laugh muscles sore. Ed’s had some amazing jobs, and his stories around the fire pit in Cousin Bob’s backyard demanded gratitude from those of us who’ve benefited from his dedication to our country.
Makes me wonder about life: why do people who could so enjoy daily communion scatter sixteen hundred miles apart?
Ah, but our just work is ultimately God’s work, and His work is needed in New York as well as St. Louis. While I am unfit, and others toil toward His ends here, in the northeast, Carol and Ed carry out their duties with aplomb. It’s my duty to fill the lives of those around with me with the kind of joy Ed and Carol brought to St. Louis this weekend.
Carol and Ed, Dominus vobiscum!