I can remember the smells and happiness. Sunday gatherings at Ma Dick’s, short for Dickerson, when I was a young boy and my mom hauled me and my brothers down to Mississippi every summer.
Her home was hot, an old simple dwelling, and the kitchen probably got to 120 degrees on Sunday afternoons. It was filled with delicacies, pot pies with dumplings, sweet tea, okra, biscuits, pies, green beans, watermelon and much more that I’m missing.
Every room was filled to the point that men were standing in the doorways and outside scrambled a rat pack of kids of all ages running and hollering.
It is where the seed was planted for big families, and I’m sure it contributed to my desire to have a huge one.
People ask me a lot, especially today when families are small and many people don’t even want one, why, why so many kids?
We are a tribe, and I grew up in a tribe. Tribes can be messy, and if you are not careful, a tribe can be suffocating. But at its best, a tribe has your back, you feel safe, and with the foundation of this safety you believe you can do anything.
Think of the Israelites wandering the desert or early Christians meeting in homes and catacombs. There is strength in numbers, and there are no numbers closer than the blood of a close family.
What if you weren’t raised in a big family, or are single and your family is spread out, etc. Well then create a tribe. I would start small, but keep your friends close and cultivate relationships. Get out of your comfort zone and go to Bible studies, clubs, or heck, move to a small town!
Finding Your Power Place: The Coffee Shop Girl, Negative Ions, and Places That Matter
Eye of the Storm: Using Coronatime Well and, a Gem from the Philokalia
A Moment with Merton: No Man an Island in a World Full of Lies
Live Free or Die!: Meaning from Inside Pendleton Maximum Security Prison
Road Trips and Empty Streets: The Mystery at the End of the Road Keeps Me Alive
Finding The Pathways and Agencies of Hope: A guitar, a motorcycle, and a soulmate
Understanding Suicide Part 3 of 3: Viktor Frankl and the Medicine of Meaning
Understanding Suicide Part 2 or 3: Worn Out, Hopeless, Moving Forward Keeps Us Alive
Understanding Suicide Part 1 of 3: Baumeister, Fire Shows and It's A Wonderful Life
Facing What You Fear: Freedom Found in the Darkest of Times
Blowing in the Wind: The Coronavirus and the epic motorcycle journey that saved my life
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Life After Ministry
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Bible Recap
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)