My brother and his wife visited us recently from Alaska. We had a delightful time together for two whole weeks! I had not seen them for seven years, and I think before then it was a 10-year interval between visits. (Alaska is very far away!) They are retired now, but they were commercial fishermen. Their lifestyle was not only amazing but also couldn’t have been more different than mine. I loved hearing about their adventures at sea and their lives on land in the “wild west” as my brother describes Alaska. (While they were here, the snowfall at home topped 7 feet. There was no snow in Florida!)
Here is one of their most remarkable stories. They were introduced to a National Geographic photographer when their oldest daughter was a young girl. The photographer was fascinated with their family’s lifestyle living on a fishing boat. He took a picture of their daughter by the light of a kerosene lantern using an early model of an electronic tablet for her studies. The picture was published in the magazine. That in itself is a great story, but that isn’t the end.
Time passed and the family moved into a house on land. They still fished but no longer lived on the boat. Their daughter was now college age and working for the forestry service during the summer. This particular summer, some recent college grads from Australia came to Alaska and also worked for the forestry service. Their daughter met one of those handsome young Australian men and there was an instant attraction. She eventually brought him home to meet her mom (her dad was fishing). And in their conversation, her mom asked the young man why he chose to come to Alaska. She knew that he must have done a lot planning and saving in order to make such a trip. He replied that some years earlier, he saw a little girl’s picture in a National Geographic magazine and fell in love. So, my sister-in-law fetched their copy of the magazine and asked, “You mean this picture?” My niece and her husband are living in Australia and have been happily married for over 20 years. They have 3 children, the oldest of whom is currently attending Princeton University.
In one of our many conversations, I realized that I didn’t really know my brother or his wife like I thought I did. To be clear, there was never a rift between us, just time and miles. My brother is older than I and had moved away from home when I was in Jr. High. So, our paths began to diverge at early age. We still talked from time to time and kept tabs on each other’s milestone events, but for the most part our lives progressed independently. Who knew that those paths would cross again someday in such a meaningful way?
Their busy life on the boat precluded them from visiting very often, and there never seemed to be the necessary time or money for us to visit Alaska. The 4-hour time difference made it difficult to stay in touch like we probably should have. And as it always does, time marched on. So much life happened during those years. We are not the same people that we were so long ago. It was a pleasure to be able to fill in the blanks from all our years.
This time with my brother and sister-in-law gave me such appreciation for their lives. I have great respect for their experiences, which were beyond anything I could ever imagine myself doing. Working together at a strenuous and dangerous job, living in a confined space on a boat, and raising children amid all of that, goes way beyond my capabilities!
Their visit reminded me that families are an important part of life. Throughout history, families have played a central role in society. They have been the primary source of love, support, protection, and nurturing for both adults and children. They provide a safe and secure environment and a sense of belonging and identity, which are crucial for an individual’s well-being and emotional development. Historically, the family unit has been the cornerstone of stability and deemed to be a necessary part of life in many cultures. Although the dynamics of the family unit may have changed throughout history, the significance has never changed. A family offers us a sense of belonging and acceptance that no other social group does.
Biblically, we see the family as a constant theme all the way back to Adam and Eve. In Bible times, the family unit was essential to their way of life. Much is said, especially in the Old Testament, about the family structure. That blueprint helps us understand our relationship with God today.
God called us to be in His family.
2 Corinthians 6:18 – And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
God uses things we can see to illustrate things we cannot see. God instituted the family structure not only to help us here on earth, but also to help us relate to Him as our Father and our fellow Christians as our brothers and sisters.
But like anything in this world, the physical family can fall prey to the corruption of negative influences, just like Adam and Eve’s did. Those influences may cause problems in our families, which could distort or diminish our understanding of being in God’s family. That’s why we must fight for our families both our physical family and our spiritual one, remembering that praying for them might be the only thing we can do.
People are not perfect. They can let us down. So, we may get separated from our physical families for various reasons. In those cases, our spiritual family can fill the void. We can always count on God to be our loving Father, Who cares for us no matter what! We can take comfort in knowing that we will NEVER be separated from our spiritual family.
I’m very thankful to have had this time with my brother and sister-in-law – to have had the opportunity to really get to know them and appreciate their lives. A timid little girl and her daredevil big brother reconnected after living their lives so differently for so long. What a joy! (By the way, the timid little girl isn’t so timid anymore. And the big brother might not be such a daredevil these days!)
Our family is crazy – always has been, but it’s a strong family. Although we started out in the same household, my brother and I are very different. We couldn’t have pursued more opposite lifestyles. We don’t talk to each other every week or even every month. (We vowed to work on that.) We don’t agree on every topic, but that doesn’t bother us. We love and respect each other because we are family.
Note to my readers: I apologize for my late posting, but I think from the topic you can understand the delay. Thanks for reading.