Today's joy for the day is that of spending time with loved ones, both in church and out of church. I feel as though I can fully be myself when I go shopping with my mother. We like to poke around Goodwill. Sometimes we hit Marshall's and TJ Maxx, and other times it's the Christmas Tree Shops and Target. I think in my case it's the thrill of the hunt with my mother and me. We never know what we'll find. Yesterday I found a book about the Red Sox' 2007 season written by Johnny Pesky for two dollars. The ultimate score for me was the genuine Coach bag I found at Goodwill for $1.99. Knowing that the bag cost well over 2 dollars to produce, and that the retail cost was probably at least $100, I snatched it up. (Plus I really like Coach purses--they last a long time.) When I found that I felt like I'd conquered the Romans single-handedly.
Spending time with loved ones is good. We need to keep the bonds of love and affection going to ward off depression and feelings of isolation. After all, God Himself said, "It is not good for man to be alone."(Genesis 2:18a). I think God knows better than we do about what is best and that is why He gave us families. However, we have to take advantage of the gift of family and loved ones. We need to spend as much time as we can with them, because until the Lord returns, we won't have all the time in the world with them. Unfortunately I've learned that lesson a few times this year, what the passing of my friend Bill in January and the passing of my mother-in-law in April. I've been blessed that not only am I close with my biological family, but also both sets of in-laws, plus my older brother's in-laws, and my younger brother/nephew's in laws. (I better get along with my nephew's in-laws--his father in law also happens to be the pastor at our church.)