A new meaning of Family

My family is big, it's welcoming, it's a safe place to run and it's uniquely close.

I was raised not only by my parents but by my aunts & uncles and grandparents. I can honestly say I've never met an extended family that is as close as mine is. I love every part of the holiday gatherings, wacky games that are played, the laughter, the music and most definitely the hugs. I've always known that my family was pretty special but my eyes were opened this past Friday.

I just spent the last week (Spring Break) in Colorado with what has become my 'other' family. My church family and I took around 100 college students to Fort Collins, Colorado to worship and tell anyone and everyone about Jesus. They saw countless amount of people give their lives to Jesus and receive salvation. People from Wal-mart and Target and the mall were being healed of physical problems right before their eyes!! The Kingdom of Heaven had fallen on that city!! My week looked a little different...I experienced humility before the Lord as I worked in the 'faceless and nameless' jobs. I spent my week crunching numbers, watching the budget and cooking lunch and dinner for 130 people every day. I got to pour out all that I had into the college girls and watch them encounter the Lord. It was amazing and so hard at the same time. At the end of the week I flew from Denver to Arkansas to meet Wiley for a wedding.

For the last couple months I have been seriously missing my family and my best friends that moved to Dallas. I have had more homesick now than I ever had in college! Wiley knowing this got in contact with some of my family and had them write a quick note to me. I was greeted at the airport with a stack of papers with so much love that I literally could not stop crying. I was overwhelmed with the words that were written to me from cousins and parents and aunts and uncles. I was overwhelmed with the love that I felt for them. I was overwhelmed with how much I needed them and their love in my life. 

I was taken aback with how their simple words expressing their love for me could fill my heart to overflowing...

So I wanted to write...I wanted to say thank you. Thank you to Wiley for loving me so much and desiring to see my heart filled. Thank you to my INCREDIBLE family who has shown me this rare love, not just on last friday, but for the last 22 years. Thank you all for being a consistent rock and safe place for me even from 8 hours away. Thank you for all the faceless and nameless acts you have done for me over the years! Thank you for being a place of steadfast support...Thank You

What we have is rare, it's chaotic at times, it's sacrificial always and it's the only way I would have it. I couldn't pick a better group to have in my corner. I love you all!!