Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide,

do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

Isaiah 54:2

Around the world, tents are shrinking.

Brexit actually happened. The voices of isolationism and nationalism won out over open borders and a spirit of union with other countries.

In America, the rallying cry of “Make America Great Again” has morphed into an all out assault on democracy and the rule of law. Corruption, lies and disregard for basic tenets of justice have been trampled underground in the defence of an increasingly unstable, narcissistic and dangerous president and his minions.

The tent shrinking is happening among liberals too, where moderate voices are excluded within an increasingly narrow agenda, with no room for debate. The most glaring example of this is the abortion issue. Is there room for pro-life Democrats in America? Or, pro-life Liberals in Canada? Where are moderates, those who see the greyness of the in-between on many moral issues, to go?

Within the church, extreme factions attack each other as the real enemies of the church. For some, a “smaller, purer” church is preferable to one that includes those who think, believe or worship differently from them. A universal, catholic church, united in diversity and open to all? No thank you, they say.

Shrinking tents reflect shrinking hearts. Barricading ourselves in fortresses of sameness is like living in a room full of mirrors instead of windows. A room surrounded by walls without a door in sight.

A home without a threshold beckoning us to go out into the world, or to welcome others in.

I meant to write and publish this post on The Feast of the Holy Family. But, I was too busy on that day, and in the weeks that followed. Too busy. With family.

Old school images of the Holy Family make me think of today’s photoshopped, artistically staged Instagram pictures. Flowers and misty lighting might capture a split second of perfection in a family photo. It doesn’t reflect the messiness of daily life. And, life can be messy.

As a new decade begins, it’s a chance to reflect on more than the past year. On New Year’s Eve, we began chatting about all that our family went through in the last ten years. As we began listing our well worn litany of woes, our daughter stopped us all. Yes, shit happened, she said. But, so did a lot of good. And we need to embrace it.

With GRATITUDE.

There are holes in the fabric of every family. Some are caused by simple wear and tear. Others are ripped and torn apart by unexpected crises and losses. Sadly, we live in a throw away culture. When newness fades it is thrown away. Imperfection is rejected and discarded. We have forgotten the art of mending and darning, picking up each dropped thread one by one. It’s a patient art. Re-weaving the new into the old, making it whole again.

My phone is filled with photos from the holidays. Children are caught in mid flight during group poses. Tears, giggles and snotty noses are captured together. No one has their hands prayerfully folded, they’re too busy scrambling to corral the littles. There are no lilies or roses. There isn’t a halo in sight. But, laughter abounds. As does love. Much love.

Yes, there is holiness in the holely.