Have you ever thought about how people come together?

Over the years, I’ve noticed we get together in many ways. While in the Navy and stationed in Germany, we American seemed to seek out fellow Americans. That shouldn’t surprise us, but there’s something that always bothered me about that experience.

How do we learn a new culture if we stay separated from it?

Therefore, I traveled a lot with a very special person while in Europe. Ah, the lessons I learned! No, we couldn’t always speak the same language, but we communicated via hand movements and facial expressions. A smile always won! I learned the cuisine of the countries we visited. I ate chicken Kiev in its namesake city in the Ukraine. Of course, there were so many lessons to be learned from the many wines I found during my travels. Hey, life can be very tough, sometimes!

Traveling is one way to bring us together. Now, let’s seek other avenues of togetherness.

Many families have a tradition of summertime or holiday picnics. That type of gathering brings us together over food — not a bad idea! We stuff ourselves, chat, laugh, play and doze together. No, we may not agree on everything, but we can assemble and feel the importance of family. That institution is the basis of society — no matter how many members in the family.

Book clubs are a terrific coming together time. We have a hard and fast rule in our book club — what is said there, stays there. That idea builds trust. It allows us to speak from personal experiences and to see how much we have in common. It’s always interesting how a book’s storyline can mirror something that happened in our lives. It brings us together.

And obviously, wine tasting events are a wonderful way to bring folks together. After having hosted just a few of these events, it seems to me that it’s not so much about the wine. It’s so much more about being together and talking, laughing, and naturally, learning a bit about that wonderful liquid called wine. I enjoy hearing folk’s analysis of a newly tasted wine. They may be a sweet wine lover, but will try a dry red to see what they will encounter in the vino.

Our faith life is a coming together moment. For many of us, it’s a way of life — almost a reaction. As a young lad, I attended church services and Sunday School because … it was expected of me. I know my folks possessed some faith, but they never pounded it into us kids. I truly believe the post church service social hour was a prime reason we all went to church on Sunday morning. The church brought people together.

We all have neighbors. Yeah, some of them can be a pain in the derriere. However, we live together and have the same hopes and dreams for our families. When a neighbor needs help, all social issues are pushed aside and we reach out a helping hand. I learned that very early on when my father had back surgery, and all of our neighbors put their harvesting aside for a day or two and harvested all of our grains. I have a picture of those neighbors standing together during that time of need. Thank you friends!

I had the pleasure to host a bourbon tasting event recently. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I reached out to my son-in-law who is one of the nation’s leading experts on whiskey, and asked him how he does such tastings. Not only did he tutor me, but he sent me some fantastic bourbons. We tasted bourbons from New York, Minnesota and Kentucky.

What an enriching time! The attendees sampled, explained their findings and all of it led to many bits of knowledge and renderings of past tastings. If you get a chance to taste Mary Dowling’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey that’s aged in tequila barrels, do so! It’s absolutely delicious. The whiskey is named for Mary Dowling, and her story is enthralling. Research it, sip the bourbon and enjoy the heck out of it!

Music brings us together. That’s nothing new to you or me, however it needs to be said. Sometimes we take music for granted. It’s always been there, continues and will always go on, right?

But what if … there’s a day when the music dies? Many of us will remember such a song and the reason for it. What’s the story here? Come together…

Coming together is what we need to do. In times of personal and social distress, reach out and help each other. Be nice to each other. Respect each other. After all, I am who I am because of who we all are.

Let’s come together, folks!

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!