Family - A Gift from God

There is hardly a family anywhere that had not witnessed the wedding of Diana and Charles. If they didn’t sit glued to the TV when it happened – they saw it in the re-runs later. It was a fairy tale wedding and story. The press and media kept it in front of us until we all had it firmly planted deep in our subconscious.

Recently in a garage sale that we stopped at the folks were offering a Diana and Charles Coffee Mug. There emblazoned on the side of the cup were the faces of this famous couple. This is 2007 – 10 years after Diana died in that horrific automobile crash in the tunnel on Paris with Dodi, her boyfriend. This was an old cup.

Yes it was 10 years ago this beautiful bride of Charles and mother of her boys, Harry and William, died in that crash. It was another catastrophic, world disaster. Another one that the press and media would work until it would fade to its new place in our collective mind space.

In an article in MacLean’s Magazine – June 18th – there is an extensive article entitled “The Undoing of Diana” by Rosalind Miles. (Reference to this article below). It is a huge expose of this tragic Royal family. I had not known about this background before reading all of this in the past week. The article refers to another book that is being released about Diana. It reveals the “whole story” – if there ever is such a thing. It seems the Princess Diana was not a saint and has fallen greatly in the eyes of her admirers. She had one affair after another mixed into all the charitable work and saint building that she did. Dodi was only one, the last one, of her lovers.

But then – so did Charles. He was a philandering dude that is known also for his ability to mess up other families. But because he is the potential King who will step up to the kingly plate when his mother steps down – or can’t get up to the plate anymore – he is revered in his own special way.

This is a tragic and sick family. Yet I watch and read the stories over and over again. And all the time my heart aches for them. How can you take anymore? How can William and Harry live this one out? There will never be relief I am afraid. There will always be media. The same kind will continue to sell their product on the backs of this tragedy.

Family is gift from God – not a media focus. Yet perhaps it should be a media focus when it is good and when it survives. When it survives the stress and problems of a horrible fate – it should be shouted about – EVERYWHERE! But it will never make a dent in the local press of anywhere.

George and Joan….
This past week a family that has grown closer to me over this past year came to visit. It is an unusual family. The four kids call grandpa and grandma, dad and mom. They live with their mother but traveled with their grandparents to Canada to see their dad – who they haven’t seen for almost 7 years. Their dad is a friend of mine that now lives in Canada and is at the time permanently separated from his kids who are American and live a four day’s drive from Peterborough. Their dad spent the last 6 years in a US Federal Prison and upon his release was expelled to Canada – his birth place.

Last evening I spent some time with this family and loved every minute of it. The sparkling minds of the three children were just plain fun. What a delight to get to know them. What a privilege to get to know grandpa and grandma better too. “George and Joan” is an amazing couple to say the least.

Today they leave for home and the four days of travel. Today their son, my friend, will begin a time of deprogramming and a wall of depression that comes with the new separation from his kids again. He enters a new kind of prison with me in Canada – one called ‘alone’. Think of and pray for Richard this week if you can.

Special blessings personally….
Without a doubt I am blessed. The immediate moments that I spend here on earth are so special. I will not take one of the moments for granted. Yet we don’t have a lot when you do the calculations on paper. We have a sign above our kitchen sink that states it best, “I started with nothing…. and I still have most of it left.” As a minister that could not be more true – church work never makes any one rich. It helps make you just a little bit fat these days but…. I am not complaining but rather pointing to the realities.

But there is a greater reality that I point today… my family. Father’s Day humbles you greatly as they come together to love on you. Yesterday was that kind of day. I was loved again and the kids did it all.

After the church service that we attended, that is my work place BTW, the kids came to our place lunch – a big spread of a picnic at our home. It was far too hot so we sat outside in the driveway under the shade of our big tree. There were14 chairs around three long tables. All the chairs were filled with laughter and delight. Cousins with cousins – kids with kids – and the older adults grinning as we shared the delight of the bouncing grandkids.

This year was special too in that Great Grandma Lincoln joined in as a closer part of the family around our table. At times the noise was a little much and the words may be too fast – but it was fun.

There was also computer games in the grandpa’s garage mixed with squeals of delight. The we completed the day with a baseball game in a local school yard.

This is ‘family devotion’ at its best.

I wonder if Prince Charles and his family would have had picnic in their driveway at Buckingham Palace – if it might have been different?

Memo:
Dear Charles…there are big advantages to not having much money…we all laugh together and love life to the fullest. Maybe you should ask “Mom” if you folks can use the palace’s driveway for family fun time. This is just a suggestion from a friend that loves his family.
Your friend,
Murray.

Family is a gift from God.

~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~













“The Undoing of Diana” by Rosalind Miles http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070618_106220_106220