Sticking Together

Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and can be of service to him. And blessed is he who loves his brother as well when he is afar off as when he is by his side, and who would say nothing behind his back he might not, in love, say before his face.

Francis of Assisi

Families are complicated. I’ve never known one that didn’t have at least a hint of sibling rivalry with a sprinkling of uneasy and often shifting sibling alliances. When my own family of origin broke apart almost four years ago, one of the things that my dad reportedly complained about was how close my brother and I were. “Those two. They always stick together.” He said, I assume, with disgust.

Sticking together is not something that can be assumed with siblings. I remember as a child how shocked I was that my own parents did not see their siblings as often and regularly as I thought would be normal. Our siblings are our first playmates and allies, competition, partners in crimes and misdemeanors and fellow witnesses to the same life experiences (if not the same opinions about them).

Yesterday I talked about sharing a tennis court with two brothers who spent their entire match affirming, complimenting, and praising one another. They were decent players but they were outstanding brothers. If I see them again, I swear to you, I am going to ask them the secret to their familial success because, I suspect, that if all of us had that kind of support hope would be an abundant resource.

Imagine a world populated by people with a stubborn commitment to stick together. I know there would be exceptions that were necessary and even required for health reasons. But I still wonder, as I did as a child, why we all aren’t taking better care of one another.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 NIV