Family ties

When my dad retired in 1984, he decided to organise and pay for a holiday for the whole family.  Bearing in mind the fact that my parents had 6 children, and by 1984 most were married with children of their own, it was no mean feat!  We had a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable week’s holiday at Wembury, on the south Devon coast.  As a family group we enjoyed the experience so much that we pledged to do it again every 5 years.

A few weeks ago we shared in the latest family holiday, renting converted properties on a farm on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border.  There were 33 of us in the group, representing different generations of the family, ranging from pensioners to toddlers.   (Sorry the image isn't great, but it's a photo of a photo; if you're counting, the photographer is missing!)

We had a great time together, including various competitions such as tennis and go-carting.  The younger members of the group especially loved the trampoline.  Being on a working farm was exciting, not least the opportunity to see new-born calves and other farm animals.

The only real down side was the fact that for the first time my brother Phil and his family, who live in New Zealand, were not able to join us.  Phil is currently battling cancer, but even if he had been fully fit it is doubtful whether they would have been able to travel over to share in the holiday.  We really missed them!

That leads me on to what was, for me, the most precious moment of the holiday.  Many of us have been praying for Phil for some time, but it was felt that it would be good for us as a whole family to gather together for a time of prayer for Phil and the family.  So one evening, we came together as a large family group to pray.  It was a very moving experience, and we felt that although we were separated geographically by some 11,400 miles, we were one with them in Spirit.

It is such a blessing to be part of a close-knit family, but more so in the knowledge that we are bound together not only by family ties but also by the Christian faith which many of hold very dear.  I thank God for the influence which our parents had on us 6 children, and how their faith has percolated down through the generations.