A Mirthday Celebration

Our family has had a tradition of praying the rosary together on Sunday evenings for as long as I can remember.  When we were younger/ unruly teenagers, it usually took quite some time to drag everyone away from our television shows or homework or whatever it was we did on Sunday nights that was so much more important than family time.  Once gathered and calmed down, we knelt in a circle, brought to our knees by Dad's insistence (until we were deemed old enough to not have to kneel but usually did anyway out of guilt) and recited our prayers.

Somehow, something or other would end up making us laugh, sometimes to the point of tears.  Sometimes just one or two of us (almost always me--my brother just had to look at me for me to lose it), sometimes all of us.  Dad was usually the rock and kept praying even if the rest of us were doubled over and unable to breathe.  (As long as Mom laughed with us, we didn't get in trouble.)

Last night, in honor of Our Lady's birthday, my parents and I gathered to pray to our Mother.  We lit a candle in front of the Our Lady of Guadalupe icon in our living room, sang "happy birthday," and began praying.  Mom was racing through the prayers so fast it was funny.  Dad and I asked her to slow down, but instead, she just started laughing.  Then I started laughing.

For the next three out of five decades, Mom and I were too overcome with laughter and tears to pray out loud.  Dad kept chugging along, chuckling every once in awhile at our squeaking.  I tried to join in again for the fourth decade, but somewhere in the middle I lost it again.

You may think we are completely irreverent, or just prone to ridiculously uncontrollable laughter.  You may be right.  But really, this spirit of joy springs from the love that binds us together--the love of God.  Our faith brings us together--sometimes begrudgingly, sometimes sorrowfully, sometimes hilariously.  And for all the grief we give each other, we are connected by blood and in this family for life.  Thank God.