Let’s Talk Words #4

Family

I seem to have many families in my life.  My First Family is the one that I was born into.  Mom (Doris) first, then Dad (Arthur), Grandmother Ferguson ,  and Grandmother and Grandfather Parkin.  Also in this First Family:  My older sister, Claire; younger brother, Art; youngest sister, Penny; my daughter, Sheri; and son, Henry, who died after birth.  Then there are the Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews and Cousins.    

An extension of the First Family was created when I married Butch Enders (Lorne) and his family: Casey, Roxann,  Garlynn and Kent , and then Granddaughters Jessica and Cali.  I can’t tell you how many wonderful in-laws are in my life.  I am so blessed.

To be in a family, I need to connect with them.  I don’t see them very often.  We might go to weddings, funerals, showers, or come together for a family reunion.   I will be going to such a reunion this Saturday (7-30-11) with our family.   Not all of them will be able to come to the party due to sickness, too far away, working, prior commitments, or they just don’t want to come.  

My family is a great family.  Do we always like each other?  Do we all believe the same things whether it is politics, church, raising children, music, dancing, singing?   No!  But, we do love each other.  We can help in times of sickness, we can support each other during the loss of a family member, we can help when money is needed, etc. 

I have a sickness, it is Alzheimer’s disease.  My mom has it too.   Our family prays for us, supports us, laughs with us, cries with, goes shopping with, and sometimes shares a meal with us.  And we know that our God is with us every day, hours, minutes, seconds of our lives.  We Know!  We try to do these same things for others.

Over the years, I noticed that many of my friends became members of my family.  Then I noticed that the members in my church are in my family.  It just gets better.  In Brazil, in our church in Poa … they are members  of my family, too!  I go to support meetings, and those people are part of my extended family. 

  And now my family is growing to include those I have met due to this walk with Alzheimer's.  Some of them have connections with other families or are caregivers, or are persons with different diseases but understand.  But, most of them are people that carry the disease.  My mother and I are with them.

 

Ephesians 3:14-19

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

 ¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom ^[a]every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to bestrengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the ^[b]saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

I have been blessed.  I am in the family of God.  So are you!    

 

--- About “Let’s Talk Words”:   I have noticed I can’t do more than one word per blog.  I thought I could write 3 or 4, but I can’t.  So, as my life is One Day at a Time, so are my words one blog at a time.  The next “Word” in this series will be:  Pray.