Family Past, Present and Future Part 2

Families are amazing things. Each family often consists of a group of people whose personalities differ greatly and yet they would be willing to do battle if necessary for each other. I still puzzle over those differences in the 5 of us in my first family.  Even though our lives have gone in different directions, I believe we continue to respect and take pride in each other. We live in a me first world where everyone is prone to seek the fulfillment of their own desires first. The fact that there could be a family like mine is not because of the goodness of man but because of God's grace.

In less then a week after leaving my mom's, my husband and I drove to the Outer Banks in North Carolina to spend time with 3 of our 4 children and their families. Although this year we were spread out on three floors, we still had a greater opportunity to spend more relaxed natural time with each other. Thankfully the five grands were able to play together without any major fights. Even at such young ages it is clear that each child has his or her own personality and gifts.

The youngest of the grands is a slight wisp of a girl at a year and a half. In spite of her diminutive size Libby holds her own against her big brothers. We learned not to be fooled by her size. She can climb her way into almost any trouble her brothers can while laughing or smiling from ear to ear. Libby inspected the items in the recycling bags with quiet curiosity until she caught the attention of an adult. Libby's brother, Jacob is now three. He runs full tilt into life ready to embrace it all. The unexpected discovery of an ordinary shell is as much cause for joy as finding a treasure chest would be for Jacob. Although Jacob and his older brother are often partners in various adventures, Matthew is the one who wants to think things through. He seems to feel the weight of his role as big brother to Jacob as well as to his little sister Libby. As his interest in drawing increases, it's easy to see him as the up and coming artist with a sketch pad always under his arm.

My daughter's two make up the rest of our third generation.  My granddaughter Grace has now learned to read. I'm sure it must have surprised her when she realized that reading was more than the dreaded word educational. It was also fun and very useful as there are all kinds of things to read like logos on trucks and bumper stickers as well as books filled with amazing characters off on unexpected adventures. Grace can participate in a fairly adult conversation complete with words many adults don't use. To be sure we don't forget her age, she will burst forth with typical 6 year old silliness as her imagination takes her in a new direction. Henry, Grace's brother had surgery at the age of 7 months for hydrocephalis. His parents were told not to expect him to walk until after he turned 2. The week at the OBX we celebrated his birthday and he would often speed past us at almost a run. He is eager to experience all he can. Henry is quite the contrast to Libby since he towers over her with a weight and height of a child twice his age. He is following his two boy cousins with a great love for Thomas, the tank engine.

The youngest child in both my son's and daughter's families were named after my husband's parents. Steve's dad was named Frederick Henry. Since the family tree is peppered with Fredericks, their boy became Henry. Steve's dad never weighed more than 150. If 2 year old Henry continues to grow at the rate he has he will definitely surpass his great granddads' weight. When I think how I want him to be like F.H. Doe, physical size or strength is not on the list. It's strength of character that's towards the top.  Steve's dad spoke only when he had something to say and so people listened. He was always willing to stand up for what was right no matter what the cost. I'm sure his desire to take the hard position against the enemy of truth and righteousness became stronger after he embraced his wife's faith in Christ. His wife, Libby was a petite woman like her namesake. She never reached much above 5 feet but like her husband her influence was measured far beyond that. They were a  key couple at their church in whatever way was needed. At her funeral one of the ladies mentioned what a quiet witness she was. May the second Libby have the faith, courage and quiet confidence of the first Libby.

The mom and dad of our five grands are not the oldest of our children. Laura and Chris are the two that made us parents. We adopted them from Korea. Even though they bear none of our genetic makeup. they carry the undeniable marks of being part of our family. Unfortunately our daughter Laura could not join us at the OBX. Our son did come. Last year he slept on the couch and good naturedly allowed his niece and nephews to climb all over him before he was completely awake. This year he even had a private bathroom and a bed behind a closed door. Chris is the great lover of fishing whether he catches anything or nothing just like my brother Phil.  He introduced the 2 older nephews to the pleasure of the kayak. It was good to see the grands talking and laughing with their uncle.

The other two members of our family that are not genetically linked to us are Brian who married our daughter Jessica, and Karin who married our son Josh. As each year passes it's clear how each family is like us and completely different. Steve and I are " mom and dad like" to them even though we can never replace their parents. It's wonderful to know your children are truly loved by their spouses.

One of the advantages of having a husband as a pastor is being able to call on him to have a worship service while on vacation. Initially he geared his message to the 4 older children who were there and then he spoke to the adults. Did perhaps the story of Zacchaeus help us to remember who we are as indiviuals and how to relate towards each other? We are all sinners who enjoyed our time with each other and appreciated each other because of the heritage we share. That heritage is  based on the faithful love of our heavenly Father. No matter what our earthly families are like He is the one who produces harmony, peace and joy.