WELCOME April 24, 2000 Issue

To Our Readers

William E. Moody

FAMILY. THE DICTIONARY tells us that the word is defined fundamentally in terms of a group of people who are related to one another either by marriage or by ancestry. Yet we know that such a definition only begins to get at what a family really represents, or at least should represent at its best. There are plenty of families that when defined solely by ancestry or marriage hardly even feel like families. There might be abuse, or old hurts and resentments going back for generations, or chasms of misunderstanding and distrust, or situations where the people just don't like each other. Then, on the other hand, we find families where a bond of deep love and mutual support is tangibly present—always, even when there are tough challenges. And somehow that love runs deeper than ancestry and is thicker than blood. It's something that has a truly spiritual basis.

Isn't that the kind of "family" we all want to share? Maybe it requires coming to a new definition of family—something established and built on the relation we each have to God. God is universal Love, and realizing the effect of this truth in human experience makes for a whole new sense of family. It blesses our immediate relations. It extends our family and broadens our affection.

If you'd like to learn more about redefining family, and strengthening your own sense of it, read this week's Cover Story by Nathan Talbot. It has something important to say on the subject that may even change your perspective.

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