I Got It From My Family

What Being Family Means

Why am I so hard to understand that I can't always understand myself? Why do I enjoy or not enjoy certain things? It is because of these people!
Most of those people in this picture are blood kin to me. That means that they have left their little DNA tracks all across my genetic fields. Eyes like Mom, hands like dad, ears like my uncle, I think like my grandma and talk like my grandpa.

I have family on my dad's side, and family on my mom's side. Watch out for me I am merging and spreading and here I come!

Most of the people in this picture are not living anymore, some died before I was born. Make no mistake, I know them so well from family stories.

There are some real characters with amazing stories in that picture. My dad is on the bottom row, second from left and holding my oldest brother. Dad was the youngest in a large family. He became an alcoholic in his youth, and struggled for many years before he found Christ and overcame his addiction. After his conversion, he became a minister who touched many people.

Mother, sitting to the right of  dad, lost her parents when she was young and was an orphan. She lived in different homes until she married. She didn't talk much about those years, but one time she told us how hard it was to always feel like a guest and not a family member. Mom and all of her siblings but one, were able to live fairly close to each other growing up and remained very close to each other. One small brother was adopted as a baby and they lost contact with him. Mom would talk about him and wish that she could see him.

Family is one of the greatest gifts from God. My children grew into wonderful adults, and added more personalities to the gene pool. Grand kids proved to be just as much fun as our kids were.

What about your family? Have you done anything for them today? There is no perfect bunch of people, and sure not in a large family. Every family has its tainted and stained, but they are still family.

Foster and adopted children usually always struggle with the loss of biological family. There is so much that you can do to make them feel a part of family. I just can't stress that enough! What you do for someone today can make such a difference in their life.

Picture It

Spring time blooms around an empty home
Buried under the dirt and grass of this old home place is a thousand stories. Death, sorrow, happiness, disappointments and every kind of human emotion known to people.
One story stands out stark and plain. Life changes, and nothing remains the same. No one is worried about the upkeep of this home, or just how many snakes are hiding in the grass, ready to bite an unsuspecting child's bare foot. Whatever problems are worrying you today, will most likely be forgotten this time next year.
Reminds me of the time I topped a mountain, and looked down upon my home in the valley below. I had left my kitchen in a mess, laundry was piled high, and time was limited to get these aggravating chores done. I was stressed and unhappy about my little 6 hour house cleaning plan. Looking down into that beautiful valley where my home looked so small compared to the mountains around it, I was struck with how unimportant trivial things are.
Focus on the important things in your life today and let the little things ride if you need to.