CHARLOTTE – When I was a kid, my mother was passionate about making sure the larger family of cousins, aunts, and uncles always stayed connected. She organized the family to make sure we didn’t lose touch with one another. Labor Day was especially important as we gathered with cousins we don’t normally see. While they were distant relatives, they were family.

As I started my own family, we worked hard to maintain the same traditions. As my children became young adults, they wanted to do other things rather than come over for a Labor Day cookout. I obliged, but it broke my heart.

This past Labor Day, my middle child said he was coming over. I was elated. I don’t see as much of him as I’d like so this was important. But the day before the holiday, he changed his plans and wasn’t coming over to the house.

A few days before, a friend of the Mission called me about a mother whose daughter was interested in enrolling in Charlotte Rescue Missions women’s program, Dove’s Nest. I told her to give her my cell number and she could call me anytime.

Labor Day was hot. I’m trimming hedges. I don’t enjoy trimming the hedges. I’m not in a good mood. It was more like a Saturday than a holiday for me. Then my phone rings. It was the mother my friend talked to me about. She asked me to explain the program so she would understand what her daughter would experience. I didn’t want to talk to her or anyone else. I was annoyed about the hedges and that my son wasn’t coming over. While all this was swirling through my head, she kept pressing me for answers. Finally, I said to her, “It is all on our web page. Just go to www.charlotterescuemission.org and click on Dove’s Nest. It will tell you everything you want to know. She quietly said, “Thank you,” and the call ended.

Join us next week for Keeping Short Accounts With One Another Part 2