Sounds of Silence

Here we sit.  The house is strangely, eerily quiet this morning.  Yet, as we sit with Abba in the quiet, we can hear echoing within our walls the sounds of yesterday.  Yesterday was our family Thanksgiving celebration- all sixteen of us together once again.   It happens too infrequently in our hurry, scurry world; but when it happens, it is amazing!  Laughter.  Chatter.  Fun.  Prayer.  Joy.  Memories.  Reminiscence.  Nostalgia.  Hope.  Play.  These are the riches that matter.  Yesterday was about all of those other yesterdays- the times with grandparents, aunts, uncles in bygone days.  Now we are the grandparents.  Yesterday was about today- the laughter prepares us for the healthy quiet and the healthy quiet prepares us for the joys of being together.  Yesterday was about tomorrow- an Abba-inspired vision of things yet to come- graduations, weddings, great-grandbabies celebrating with us- the sixteen morphing into many, many more- the laughter multiplying.  Yesterday was about forever.  The transition into eternity.  The Forever Banquet.  There is no yesterday's joy without tomorrow's hope.  Yet every hope of an eternal tomorrow makes every yesterday a joy unspeakable and full of glory.  Thank You, Abba, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, for embracing us in Your love yesterday.  And for promising to welcome us to Your banquet tomorrow.