Article December 2, 2002 Issue

SAFE on the road

BY Ellen Moore Thompson

MY HUSBAND AND I had driven to Texas to reunite with a couple we had known for many years. We stayed with them for several days and were introduced to their family members and friends who lived in the same town. There was a bond of love uniting this family that went way beyond the ordinary.

They cooked and ate their meals together. They shared the upbringing of their children and grandchildren. In gentle, unobtrusive ways, they imparted the values and discipline that strengthened relationships among the generations. Love filled the gap that might otherwise have existed between young and old.

Our visit proved to be more than just the wonderful getting together we had expected it to be. It became almost a baptismal experience. We felt as if we had been dipped headfirst into a river—even, an ocean—of love.