The Fractal of Life

I like the Lion King, don't get me wrong, but I'm just a little tired of the "Circle of Life". It's been totally worn out in my opinion, so I opted for what seems to me to be more descriptive of what I have been experiencing for the last few days--the "Fractal of Life".

A fractal being what you see pictured above. Now I'm no mathematician, but a fractal seems to have inherent within its design a sort of repetitive theme. The offshoots in the fractal that are pictured are remarkably identical to the bigger picture. That's how I see it anyway. And here's what I mean.

We traveled to TN over the weekend to see our youngest daughter graduate. It was pretty much your typical graduation. A boring speaker (the Right Honorable somebody who is the head of the Bahamas) trying to convince us all that the Bahamas are heaven on earth and we should all cast off our 3-piece suits and opt for splashy Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops. All I could think about was the muppets in "A Christmas Carol" singing "This is my island in the sun". What that all had to do with graduation I can't say. But then, I probably missed his point. I'm sure he had one, but my mind tends to wander in situations like that. But, in addition to this rite of passage for Emily, we also gathered as the Thweatt family celebrated our patriarch's, Bruce's dad, 80th birthday.

On Friday night, at the regular "Friday Night Live" that Bruce's mom and dad always attend (this is an outreach to the Chinese students at Vanderbilt), Bruce was the speaker and his topic was concerning marriage and parenting lessons he'd learned from growing up in the missionary household of Enoch and Jeannine Thweatt. His dad was unaware that he was the speaker and that was the first of several surprises. The next day was graduation but unbeknownest to his dad, as many as could of the Thweatt clan arrived for a surprise birthday celebration that evening. It was fabulous. He was totally surprised and we had a grand time. He was surprised the next day as well when the Chinese church that they work with had a potluck/birthday celebration in his honor.

Today, my oldest daughter calls me and asks for me to relate my feelings about my birth experience with her. That was quite a walk down memory lane and I didn't realize that we had never talked specifically about this topic before. I mean there were bits and pieces that she knew, but a lot that hadn't ever been spoken. I don't know that I ever did this with my own mom. In fact, the only thing I know about my birth is that I was born on Sunday. That's it. So, the suggestion that Jen talk to me about my experience (since I'm hoping to be there for hers) was a good one. If I had tried to do this when she was say, fifteen, my rhetoric would have been met with rolling eyes, I'm sure. But today, she was totally interested.

All this to say that life is indeed remarkable. When you get to be my age (middle age, I guess) you begin to start the process of looking back. I realize that every part of life is wonderful in its own way. I saw this weekend through Bruce's dad, the beautiful fruit of a life lived for God. The love of his family, the love of the church, and all the relationships that he and SuMama have forged through the years. It was a blessing to behold. I saw in Emily the turning of a page. The time of life that is so uncertain. What to do next? Where to live? Where do I go from here? I heard in Jen's voice this morning the excitement in the expectation of new life. What will she be like? Can I do this? The realization of the responsibility for another person.

This weekend I saw some remarkable similarities between Bruce and his Dad. Physical similarities yes, but more important, similarities in values and faith. A lot of what Bruce and I feel is important for our family came from our parents. I see in my own daughters, the values that we hold dear. Once again, in a most tangible way, I am reminded of the great influence that we have on others, particularly those most close to us. I'm thankful for my children. I'm thankful for my parents. And I'm thankful for the transforming love of God that has shaped and continues to shape our families.