Thursday, April 30, 2009

Family Ties

FAMILY. Commonly thought of as a man, a woman, and their children. At least that's what you normally think of after hearing the word, right?



Family. It's something I have dreamed of and yearned for. After Lanny and I got married, I expected it to happen right away. I was heartbroken when it didn't. Three miscarriages and a year and a half later, I still don't have the babies I have dreamed of.



Family. Lanny reminded me after a recent bout of tears due to my latest miscarriage, that he married me for ME, not because of my ability to have babies. I realized that my husband is my family, even if we don't have the babies we both want yet.



Family. We sang a song in church one Sunday about raising a family in faith. Not only was I reminded to take my fears, doubts, and grief to God but also to lean on him for strength. I was also reminded that my family is more than just Lanny, me and any children we may have. It's our parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and our friends. Heck, it can even mean our cows if that's what we want.



FAMILY. When Lanny's Great Uncle Vern died, I was reminded again that family is what you make it. He didn't have any children of his own, yet he had more family than you can shake a stick at. Whether or not kids are in my future, I will never be without FAMILY.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for your thoughts on family. i totally concur. a man once admitted that now that he has 10 kids he finally has a family. i retold this story to a childless couple and was astounded at their reply - that they are too a family. growing up in a very large family (that no one ever doubted was indeed a family) i had never thought about smaller families. so i guess, like you and lanny, and helen and vern, we also have a family albeit with only one child. (sorry, long winded!)

Jan said...

yah, don't leave us out of your family! : )

joan j said...

every time you say the words "God's Peace" your family is evident. And kudos to your husband for standing by your side through all this!

Kathryn E said...

Hi, Jill! Didn't know you had a blog-- or that you milked 90 cows twice a day! That's amazing.
That must be hard for you to not have any babies when you want them so badly, but you're right, you'll always have family, no matter what.
Hang in there! It's hard to be patient sometimes when we don't know God's plans for us.
Thinking of you.. Kathryn Eskola