Over the weekend, I was thinking about families and the term “dysfunctional family” came into my mind. “What is the opposite of dysfunctional?” was my next thought. Well, “functional,” of course.

However, do we want “functional” families? Doesn’t that sound very clinical or utilitarian? And so I began thinking about what adjectives I wanted to consider for MY family.

Balanced
Happy
Trusting
Loving
Generous
Supportive
Peaceful
Harmonious

When I thought of the word “harmonious,” I looked it up in a thesaurus and also saw “symphony” or “symphonious,” which means:

an interweaving of themes, or harmonious arrangement

Isn't that amazing? An orchestra is various pieces.



Many different kinds of instruments. You don’t often hear of a band of all clarinets or an orchestra made up of only violins or only tubas. Yet, how often do families want each member to fit into a mold and be just like each other!

Yes, in an orchestra, there is a variety of instruments and each is encouraged to be unique and make its own special contribution to the group. You don’t play a clarinet the same way you play a tuba or a piano or a violin. The sound that comes from each instrument is different, as well. Yet, when each is played, the sounds blend together to create beautiful melodies.

So, today I pray for healing and harmony for my family and families everywhere!