The last couple of weeks have been busy! While I’ve completed several projects, these last few days have been filled with celebration and relaxation for our family. My sister married the man of her dreams over the weekend, and gained two precious daughters as a by product. My husband has followed one part of Gods call for his life, and helped lead worship at our church for the very first time. And we are now 9 deep with toddlers, grandparents, teenagers, aunts and uncles to enjoy time in my happy place: the beach! My aunt and uncle were gracious enough to open their home in Port St. Joe for us to relax by the waves and get a hint of tan lines before the summer season starts.
One concept has etched itself in my mind the last several days: family. God created the first family when He created Adam and Eve. He did not intend for Adam to be alone. He saw ahead that much joy would come from Adam having a soul mate. Eventually that first family would grow larger and make other families with children, grandchildren, and legacy. So you know family is, indeed, a God-sent. Does that mean families are meant to be perfect, sinless, or without confrontation/frustration? No. It simply means God gave us the gift of family to work together, to love each other, to be loved and cared for in return, and to endure the struggles of life together, only to come out with a stronger bond than before.
For me, family means people who work tirelessly to put together the wedding of my sister’s dreams. It’s aunts, cousins, and grandparents who take my little boy to watch Mickey Mouse or read a book when this Mama needs to dry her hair or lock herself in the bathroom [to write this blog post] for a minute alone. It’s praying for Gods call for worship on your husband’s life long before he does. It’s walking on the beach at sunrise, with two of the strongest women I know… talking about parenting, love, and Gods intervention in our lives. It’s laying down next to my husband with exhaustion after we have chased an adventurous little boy for most of the day. Family is holding the hand of my grandmother in the middle of chemo treatments. It’s face timing my sister-in-law and hearing a few words of encouragement about taking the good with the bad and triumphing over it all, whatever the “all” may be. If you know my family well, we are not the “Kumbaya” type. We give it to each other straight. We love hard. With that, means pushing each other to get a grip or simply to recognize the good in ourselves or what’s in front of us. We are far from cookie cutter, and definitely don’t resemble the Cleavers.
The branches of my family are all different. Some are blended step families. Some of us did things “backwards” contrary to how society says the order they should go. Some look like they’ve done it perfectly. But, we know deep down that there’s more to the facade. We make mistakes. We say things we shouldn’t. But one thing will always be true… we make darn sure that we are there for each other. Even on days when we don’t feel like it.
No matter what your family looks like or what you might endure: hurt feelings, death, cancer, new parenthood or broken marriages… Your family is your rock. Your family knows your song and can sing it back to you note for awful note, and possibly out of tune. But they know it by heart all the same.
So I’ll take the next couple of days with my imperfect family and have a perfect time. Because our love for each other and bond that we share (with Gods grace) will be reason enough to celebrate AND get us through anything!
house of stain 