March 29th, 2017

Family, what does that really mean?

They say it's a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household. That it is also all the descendants of a common ancestor.
synonyms: ancestry, parentage, pedigree, genealogy, background, family tree, descent, lineage, bloodline, blood, extraction.
I say it's our very foundation. 
The fact is, God starts with the family because He created it. Our very existence as a society is contingent on the success of the family. And that also explains why Satan hates it so and has declared war on it. It has been said, “A family can survive without a nation, but a nation cannot survive without family."

Over the last week my family has suffered a great loss. A wife, mother, sister, aunt, sister-in-law, cousin, a friend to many. The pain is tremendous and the sorrow is deep. Patricia was one of the best ladies I knew. Her heart was of gold, her smile genuine and her laugh infectious. Her love for her family, others and life was obvious. 
As I sit back and reflect upon my family, even in my sorrow I must praise God for my family. I was blessed enough to have 7 moms and 6 dads; really more than that if you count their spouses. I have 60+ cousins running around, but they truly don't feel like cousins. They feel like brothers and sisters. I have some of the best memories of my life that are all centered around these people. Whether it was vacations, movie making, camping in RVs with no real electricity, playing in woods/creeks, 4 wheelers, music making, dancing...LOTS of dancing, bike ramps, ketchup for blood, attic playing, swimming pools, cabins & bears 😂, cool summer nights at our Granny's, the list could go on and on. I am blessed. I am blessed to have so many people that I can rely on in good and bad times. I am blessed to have shared my life with each and everyone of them. I am blessed to have known love like this. So I thank you Lord for the gift of family. I thank you that you gave me mine, and even on days like today when we have to say an earthly goodbye...it's not really goodbye, it's just till we see you again Patricia Neal. The mantel of holiness, generosity and faithfulness that you poured out into all of us will never be forgotten. We love you ❤