Blog » “Family: a Beautiful Mess”

Thursday, June 6, 2013 Jeff Lampl

 
Did you know......... 

· You can rent a grandma? If you yearn for the feel of a traditional family dinner, Rent a  
  Grandma will let you shop, cook, talk, and share a family dinner with an older woman of your
  ethnicity.
· You can hire consultants and facilitators for potty training, love coaches who will help you with
  the tactics of romance, and experts who can organize your kitchen, bedroom, playroom and
  emotional spaces.
· You can hire not only wedding planners but also funeral planners.
· For a fee “Family 360” will come into your home and evaluate your performance as a dad or
  mom.  They will even help you to create memories.

Talk about outsourcing! 

Question: Are your best memories the result of the perfectly planned party or vacation where everything went off without a hitch, where everything happened exactly as planned? 

Not in our house. My family remembers the food fight that I started and which ended with a piece of rice stuck on my forehead more than they remember Disneyworld. We remember the joy of spraying the hose through the window into the  kitchen onto siblings and mom. We remember the camping trips when the water resistant tent got filled with water, or the birthday dinner when everyone was yelling at “poor dad” (I remember it that way too!) 

The following passage makes me think that we are way too hung up on getting life and family mapped out, planned out, and done right. All the impressive how to’s of the world will fade, but love, the joy of imperfect but genuine connectedness to those we love, will not.  

       "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are
        tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."  
                                                        1 Corinthians 13:8 (NIV)
“Lord, loosen me up. Make me a catalyst for laughter and joy in my family. Release me to release my family to have fun. I’m tired of the all the requirements of your salvation, bring us the joy of your salvation. Amen”