We had a group of family friends that would take an annual trek to the Carolina coast when I was a child. Those times were filled with beach days, crabbing, mini-golf, and lots of fried shrimp. The place made it fun, but the people made it special... family time uninterrupted by all the work, school and activities of home… fun times making memories with family and friends in the sun, surf and sand. Cause "loves the finest thing around." Then, from the time Anita and I started dating, the Carolina coast has been special to us too. Her Aunt, who lived on the Isle of Palms used to host a reunion about every other year. Everyone would gather for a week-long celebration of all the birthdays, anniversaries, and milestones we had missed together. She made every person feel special and made matching T-shirts so that everyone who belonged to our family crew (blood relatives and friends so close they were like cousins) got the T-shirt. Kind encouraging words were spoken and many coastal meals were shared shoulder to shoulder and laughter was only a moment away. The Carolina cousins have tried keep the tradition going since her aunt’s passing. Once again, the place is wonderful, but the people are what make it special. Cause "loves the finest thing around." Of course, one of our favorite songs is “Carolina in My Mind.” James Taylor apparently wrote the song from a faraway place, homesick for the people he loved and belonged to. The love of the people who spoke gentle and kind words to him and familiarity of the place seemed to call out to him. I love the lines he sings:
“There ain't no doubt in no one's mind
That love's the finest thing around
Whisper something soft and kind
And hey babe, the sky's on fire
I'm dying, ain't I?
Gone to Carolina in my mind”
Paul, the Apostle, was writing to some people he loved, who had apparently forgotten how to treat the people to whom they belonged. He writes to them from a faraway place reminding them, “love’s the finest thing around.” He says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13 (NIV) For a few years now the Carolina reunion has been postponed, but memories of the love and laughter of those to whom we belong are calling out to us, reminding us that “love’s the finest thing around!” We all need to let Jesus whisper words soft and kind to us and then we can pass them along to those we love whether we are close to them or faraway.
Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!
