Family

What a beautiful thing family can be.  Families are formed in so many various ways.  It’s not even just about the ones that you’re related to by marriage, you can form an amazing family by heart connections with the most amazing friends.

I am blessed to have an abundance of all of these things.  I not only got the BEST in-laws ever but the Lord keeps giving me the most amazing friends ever.  They so are my family too!

I grew up with a God-smack of cousins (yes God-smack) because only He can bless a family so abundantly.  We had our ups and downs and we’re spread all across the country, well around the world too, but who cares, you’re only ever a heartbeat away from family anyway.  We’re all so different, but the same, connected because two people (technically four – Joe & Betty and Don & Helen) fell in love.  I have more than 35 cousins and on one side of my family we have nearly two dozen great grandkids as well.  My grandparents on that side of the family just celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary.  It is such a blessing to see them still celebrating and walking through their lives together.  My other grandparents celebrated their 54^th last year, also such an amazing blessing!  God is so good!  It does a heart good to recognize these things on a regular basis.

I came into writing this because I want to acknowledge the family that I tie to myself by choice.  My friends.  The ones that I don’t have any obligation to because of blood but yet I feel almost even more blessed by because they love me as I am, because they chose to.  I had the awesome privilege to spend time with two of my favorite women last weekend.  They are my soul sisters, the sisters that your heart recognizes.  The kind that you can go without seeing or talking to for weeks and yet you pick up right where you left off just as if it was yesterday.  They are the peas I want in my pod when I’m wrapped up under pressure, they are the monkeys I want in my cage when I just need to let loose, they are the ones that I know will be there if and when I need them.  There is NOTHING like the family of your heart.  Like I said, I love them exactly as they are, because of who they are and I am thrilled to spend time with them, laugh with them and love with them.

Family means so many things to so many people.  I love being part of God’s family and enjoying all that He has planned for me.  I couldn’t do this any better than He already has.  He has already given me so much and yet I know that there is so much more in store.  It’s that feeling in your bones that tells you “God so loves you!!!”  I know this in part because of the family He borne me to, also in great part because of the family He married me into and lastly because He has given me a heart-family to be loved in.  Little sisters, soul sisters, big brothers, oh yes, so blessed am I!!

LuvNHugz – SupportNPrayerz

DV - NMV