Love via 'Today's Temp'!

"Love will hold us together" - a beautiful song by Matt Maher.

This song got me to thinking about what it is that holds people and relationships together amidst physical distance, despite trials and misunderstandings, even with huge differences of opinion.  I think this thought of how love holds my most important relationships together has been on my mind as I continue to settle into my new home and community of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.  Friendships and family relationships have - once again - been altered as a result of me beginning this new chapter of my life in marriage and in ministry...  And I am discovering - once again - that they remain solid and strong.  

Why?

The best way for me to describe *why* is with a story...  Half of my family now live in the United Kingdom, and other than my parents, all of us live in different communities across Canada and England.  In addition, it seems to be a regular occurrence for one or more of us to be "on the move" - travelling to some new destination.  So how is it possible for us to keep in touch when we are land masses, oceans, and time zones apart?  Well, the answer comes in a thermometer.

What?

A thermometer you ask?...  It's really quite simple...  Every few days, my Dad sends an email to all us entitled, "Today's Temp".  And included in this email is an image - a screen shot - of the thermometer that most of us have on the home page of our laptops.  What makes these particular images special is that they include the temperature for every community that the 'Wilsons' represent.  The temperature is overlaid on a picture of the weather - whether it is sunny or cloudy, day or night, raining, snowing or clear skies.  His email often has only the attached image accompanied by a lone sentence, such as the most recent, "Cloudy Glace Bay ousts all for top spot.  Dad."  And that is it.  That is the full extent of it.

How?

You might be thinking...How does this represent "love holding us together?"  Well, that simple image with a one-liner is enough to stimulate discussion, a bouncing off point for conversation between family members that keeps us up-to-date with what is happening in one another's lives!  It is like we get a sneak peek into what is going on, a picture of the places we all are - we can imagine more vividly what people are up to, even whether they are enjoying sunshine or chilly temperatures that day!  My brother may reply to tell us he is at Edmonton airport on his way to a Nunavut gold mine, or to discuss his latest renovation project.  Pooch may share a recent work debacle that leaves us all chuckling.  Or my sis, a funny story to share from one of the kids.  Whatever the news, it is shared across the miles and it begins over something as simple as a thermometer.


Love holds us together via a thermometer.  This is not to suggest that the love between my family is tentative or at risk, quite the opposite.  More that it takes very little to maintain relationships that are built on the foundation of love.  Countless other examples exist of how you - my friends - retain connections with those who mean the most to you in spite of distance and disagreements and differences, whether it is BBM, or facebook, skyping, or a pair of 8 1/2 Steve Madden shoes in the mail.  

Thank you to those who adapt and adjust to our ever-changing lives and allow love to hold us together.  (As a sidebar, who knows where these family 'today's temp' emails are headed with Dad's recent addition of a comparison between pounds sterling and the Canadian dollar!)


PS Check out the song if you don't already know it:
Matt Maher's 'Love will hold us together'