A couple weeks ago we were blessed to spend three days in a beautiful setting with our family, whom we only manage to see about once every three years.
My husband’s sister was living and working in Italy for 2½ months and had invited her parents to join her for a holiday. Unfortunately we were unable to do likewise but we did manage to arrange a weekend trip which, we decided, had to be a surprise visit!
Amazingly, on an overcast Friday morning we found ourselves sitting on the Piazza Duomo in Como, northern Italy, awaiting Mom-and-Dad-Koeksister who were sightseeing in the nearby cathedral.
As they exited the magnificent building, my sister-in-law – having cunningly orchestrated the rendezvous – casually led them over to the outside café where we were waiting, hidden behind a strategically positioned umbrella.
Making memories
Their surprise and disbelief on seeing us in a totally foreign setting – miles from where we should have been – closely followed by hugs of delight, created one of those perfect moments that will be affectionately remembered and recounted at family gatherings for a long, long time.
It was a precious weekend of conversation over delicious pasta in famous Bellagio, during a gelati-sweetened stroll around Varenna alongside the lapping waters of Lake Como, and while sipping on Prosecco sun-downers in little Torno’s charming piazza. We simply enjoyed being together.
And all this without any of the time and technology constraints that families living on different continents must usually contend with.
Building relationship
It reminded me how greatly I miss the freedom of being able to share things with our family whenever I want, and how significant those shared moments are. Even the simplest and briefest ones create memories and build relationship.
It’s easy to take our families for granted. For some of us it’s because we’re able to see them any time and we’ve become overly familiar. For others it’s perhaps because our relations are sometimes difficult to get along with and it is simpler not to try. And for families like mine that are separated by great distances, it’s because we are forced to learn to live our lives without our loved ones being available to us.
Today, let’s take a moment to think about our families, wherever they may be, and to ask God how we might deepen our bond with them.
Do you find spending time with your family enjoyable or challenging? What are some of the ways in which you build relationship with them?
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- Torno, Lake Como
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- Como, Lake Como
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- Torno, Lake Como
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- Bellagio, Lake Como
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- Varenna, Lake Como
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- Torno from above, Lake Como
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- Torno, Lake Como
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- The Duomo (cathedral), Como
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- Varenna, Lake Como
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- Bellagio, Lake Como
Swallows on the Stoep 