Rockfest Day 22 - Mr. October

The Boys of October – that’s what they are called. The baseball players who are still playing baseball because their teams are in the Playoffs. I love baseball and I love October so this time of year I am pretty much in hog heaven.

I think my love of Playoff baseball started around the time I was in the 7th grade. The Dodgers were playing the Yankees in the World Series. My Grandmother was a huge baseball fan. She had gotten me hooked on following the game that summer. She was a betting woman – friendly bets nothing serious – and her “money” was on the Yankees and Reggie Jackson, Mr. October.

Likewise, I made a friendly bet with my boyfriend on the Series. I am named after my Grandmother so naturally I too picked the Yanks and Reggie. It was a tremendous series. If you follow baseball at all there were stars on both teams – The Dodgers, managed by the brilliant Tommy Lasorda, had Don Sutton, Burt Hooton, and Tommy John (for whom a pitcher’s reconstructive elbow surgery is named), Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Dusty Baker just to name a few. The Yankees, managed by the colorful Billy Martin, had Catfish Hunter, Sparky Lyle, Ron Guidry, Thurman Munson, Lou Piniella, Bucky Dent and Mr. October.

1977 was Reggie’s first season with the Yankees and it is true that that season did not go all that smoothly. In the clubhouse personalities and egos clashed. That is likely to happen when so many talented people are put together. Everyone wants to be the leader. But out on the field was a different story. This team was special. The Series was special.

The whole Series was a fist fight. There were pitchers duels with games ending 4-3. There were games when batters took charge and the score getting blown out 6-1. The first game, at Yankee Stadium, went 12 innings. It seemed like for both teams there was always a different player each night stepping up and meeting the challenge for their team. Game 1 – Yankees, Game 2 – Dodgers, Games 3 & 4 - Yankees, Game 5 – Dodgers. Then came Game 6.

October 18, 1977 belonged to Mr. October. The Dodgers never really even stood a chance, although they gave it their all. Reggie Jackson was sent to the plate 4 times. The first time he was walked on 4 straight pitches. His next 3 at bats – he hit a homerun on the first pitch he saw. 3 at bats; 3 homeruns. He was responsible for 5 of the Yankees 8 runs that night. Howard Cosell could hardly contain his glee when calling the game and the third of Jackson’s home runs. Game 6 and the Series – Yankees. Win of friendly bet vs. boyfriend – me.

Reggie Jackson was given the nickname Mr. October when a reporter was talking to a teammate who gruffly told the reporter to go talk to “Mr. October.” But the name stuck and became synonymous with clutch performance. Reggie hit homeruns in games 4 and 5 for a total of 5 homeruns in the Series and was responsible for 8 total runs during the Series with the Dodgers. That is clutch performance. When hitting 3 out of 10 times is considered a good average, Reggie was hitting 4.5 times out of 10. That is clutch. Three consecutive first-pitch homeruns in one game. That is clutch.

Clutch performance is what we all need from our teammates. We need a teammate that is our go to guy. That will hit the ball 10 out of 10 times. That will dig our team out of a hole, be there for us when we falter, get behind or are facing a more powerful opponent.  That we know will hit a home run for us each and every time we send him up to bat.

Luckily, we have our own Mr. October on our team. He is right here with us, all day, all game, every game, just waiting for us to ask Him to step up for us. But like Billy Martin had to put Reggie Jackson into the official line up every night to make him eligible to play, our Mr. October cannot step up to the plate for us if we don’t ask Him to join our line up and hand Him the bat. He is waiting to step up and meet our challenges for us.

Let’s not leave our Teammate on the bench. Invite Him into the game. It’s going to be a beautiful night for a homerun.
~

Rockfest Day 21 - Some Assembly Required

“Some assembly required” are three of the most terrifying words. Every parent has at one time or another been confronted with these words, usually on Christmas eve. Left over parts, lost instructions, part A definitely does not fit into part B and so on goes the many disasters awaiting ahead.

I had the pleasure of doing a bit of assembly myself recently most unexpectedly. All I wanted was a new outdoor loveseat for my patio. Loveseats and most furniture do not require assembly. I thought the task of going to the discount retailer to buy it where they were on sale would be a snap errand. Not so snap.

I invited a friend to join me, a friend with an SUV, so I could transport my loveseat home. The loveseats and other furniture looked great on display and my friend agreed with my decorating choices. When I remarked that I thought I’d have to get a sales person to get one from the back room my friend remarked that it appeared all the loveseats were out on the floor. To my horror she was simultaneously pointing at a very large box with the loveseat pictured on it.

The box was much smaller than the loveseat itself. There was no way the box contained a fully formed and finished piece of furniture. I stood in awe and wonder – I wondered how the heck did they get that in there? Disassembly, of course. Which meant its first cousin self-assembly and her sisters fear and frustration awaited before me.

The box was surprisingly light and we were able to get it into the cart, into the SUV and ultimately into my living room. Where as they say, hilarity ensued. My friend who thought she was just driving me on a quick errand found her day enveloped by a loveseat. I don’t know how many grown adults it was supposed to take to put that thing together, but two was not enough, we could have used more, many more.

With instructions in hand we set about our task. We were so proud when we got those first two pieces A and B together. We quickly learned while trying to attach piece C that we had assembled either A or B or both upside down and backwards. Round two didn’t go much better. The pieces had pre-drilled holes for quick and easy assembly. And it would have been quick and easy had the holes lined up properly.

We wrestled with that thing for what seemed like hours. We took turns – sort of tag teaming the thing – screwing in the bolts only to find out we’d left out the washer. We tried to manipulate and conjole that thing together. Crawled on the floor under it, raised it on end for more leverage. Anything we could think of to get those four – only four! – pieces together.

I am happy to report that we were successful. Man did conquer machine, as it were. The loveseat looks great. And so far it is still holding together – a minor miracle if I do say so. And the process was actually bearable with much laughter along the way.

The finished product turned out to be just what I had in mind for my patio. However, the process getting there was way more grueling than I had planned. I thought it’d be easy, just go to the store and get what I wanted fully formed and ready to go. But that was not to be. But just because the loveseat was more difficult to bring into my life than first thought did not mean the loveseat was not attainable. It just took some effort to assemble.

Life doesn’t give us a fully formed version of ourselves. We too require assembly. We have dreams, goals and desires and we hope that we will achieve them with ease and little effort. That is not in God’s plan. We, like the loveseat, come with all the parts we will ever need to realize our goals and dreams. We do, however, require assembly to make our parts – our talents, skills, gifts, desires – fully formed.

Every one has a purpose. There is a plan and a blueprint for all of us. There are no spare parts or left over people. What we have to do is look within ourselves and see what parts God put in our box. I do not have the same parts as you. You have different skills, gifts and talents than the next person.

Discovering our parts and allowing God to develop and assemble them is His plan. It’s how He shares us with the world and how He draws us closer to Himself.  We can be assured we discovered one of our parts when pursuing it or doing it brings us joy.  Our parts ignite passion within us and spur us on to do more.  Our skills and gifts may draw us to difficult circumstances and challenges but they don't bring us discontentment.  If we find ourselves dreading what we do then we know that we are trying to use a talent or skill that did not come in our box.  Realizing what is not in our box is just as important as discovering what is.

The process won’t be pretty. Our assembly will entail some degree fear and frustration. But there is no doubt it will also entail lots of hilarity and laughter.

Don’t let the parts remain disassembled, why not open your box and discover what God put inside? You might find some delightful surprises.  The finished product promises to be amazing.
~

Rockfest Day 20 - Ring Around the Collar

I have a little black and tan dog named Gracie. I adopted her from the city pound a few years ago when she was a puppy. I don’t know what breed she is specifically but she has lots of Border Collie in her genes. She’s great at herding me down stairs and staring at me for hours. The staring part can get a little disconcerting after a while. It’s like living with a stalker.

Gracie loves toys. She loves to play tug of war with them, pull out the squeaker and pull out all the stuffing (she calls it “brains”). She is very happy when my freshly cleaned living room is full of brains and toy debris. But what she loves more than her toys is her collar. She is crazy for her collar.

Every once in a while I will take off her collar to give her a chance to be free. To give her neck a chance to rest from the constant rubbing and her ears a rest from the constant clink-clink of the tags. She has great, crazy hair and I love to run my fingers through her scruffy coat when she is collar-free. She looks like a small wolf and I want her to have the chance to roam around looking like one for a little bit.

She hates it. She hates to have her collar taken off. She will mope around, hide under the bed and generally act as if she has done something wrong. I don’t really understand this reaction. I would think Gracie would love her freedom, but she hates it.

She gets so excited when she sees the collar in my hand. She will sit very still and stare at me with those wonderful light brown eyes and give her tail just a tiny wag imploring me to put her necklace back on. And she is so joyous after I do. She struts and prances around, runs crazy all over the house as though I have showered her with love and put a diamond necklace around her neck. And perhaps I have.

Without the collar Gracie cannot tell the world who she is. She cannot tell the world that she belongs to someone and someone loves her. Her collar gives her an identity. When people see her with her collar they can call her by name. Her collar says to the world that she is mine and I am hers.

What Gracie does not know is that she does not need the collar to do those things. Her collar does not make me love her more. Her collar is not what makes her mine. She has belonged to me and me to her since the day I adopted her. Nothing will ever change that. She is free to roam wildly about collar and tag free and she would still be mine. I don’t need the collar to know who she is and what her name is. I have known her from the beginning.

We don’t need collars or name tags ourselves for that same reason. Our Heavenly Father loves us and adopted us from the beginning. We belong to Him and He belongs to us, and nothing will ever change that. We can destroy all our toys and throw all the brains and debris around the room and our Father will still love us.

When we roam about in the world we don’t need a collar or necklace to identify who we belong to, our actions will tell the world who we love and in whose house we live. We will be “known by our fruits.” (Luke 6:44). We don’t need fancy jewelry to indentify who we are; our Father knows each of us “by name.” (Ex. 33:17).

I understand Gracie’s hesitancy to be without her collar. It’s a scary world out there and I am not always within barking distance to hear her when she’s lost. If she gets separated from me the collar is reassurance to her that she will get home. When we find ourselves lost and separated from our Heavenly Father we must remember that He is always within barking distance of our voice. In fact, we are never truly lost, it just feels that way; He is right beside us wherever we go, always was and always will be. (Gen. 28:15, Matt. 28:20).  We are free to roam this world and be who we were created to be and our Father will always be there for us. 

With his love and the freedom that brings, our Heavenly Father has given us something much more valuable than any diamond necklace. Gracie’s right, that does make me feel like strutting and prancing.

~

Rockfest Day 19 - No Truer Words

I don’t know if Rod and Van set out to create a beautiful psalm/hymn, but the words speak for themselves.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

For the morning sun in all it's glory,
Greets the day with hope and comfort too,
You fill my heart with laughter,
Take away and make it better,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

There's a love that's divine,
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the sun,
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To the one, to the one.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

There's a love that's divine,
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the sun,
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To the one, to the one.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

Fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

"Have I Told You Lately", as sung by Rod Stewart, lyrics by Van Morrison.

So, have you?
~

Rockfest Day 18 - Masterpiece

Michelangelo Buonarroti is considered by many to be the greatest artist that ever lived. His works encompass all art forms including frescos, paintings, and sculptures. One of his most famous of course is the fresco he created on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome.

The work is a masterpiece. It took Michelangelo more than 4 years to complete the Sistine Chapel ceiling. During that time he was very jealous of its privacy – only allowing Pope Julius II to climb the scaffold to see it. The work includes images from the Book of Genesis – from the creation of light, the creation of Adam and Eve, their fall from grace, and the flood, David and Goliath, Christ’s ancestors and so much more. The world knows of Michelangelo from his Chapel ceiling but it is not what brought him his early fame.

It is two of his earlier works for which the art world of his day really began to sit up and take notice. From 1498-1500, before he was even 25, Michelangelo created what some still consider one of his greatest works. And it still sits in the same spot today in Saint Peter’s Basilica as it did 500 years ago following its completion. The Pieta`.

The sculpture is of Mary holding a dead Christ across her lap. It is a stunning masterpiece. From the folds in the clothes Mary is wearing to the muscles and flesh in the nude body of the Christ it is almost impossible to imagine the work is made from marble. It is the only work Michelangelo ever signed.

Georgio Vestri, an Italian artist and biographer of Michelangelo’s day, wrote at the time “It is certainly a miracle that a formless block of stone could ever have been reduced to a perfection that nature is scarcely able to create in the flesh.” Following the Pieta`, Michelangelo was commissioned to create perfection once again; this time with the statue of David.

Michelangelo was given a massive block of stone – 19 feet high – from which he was to bring David to life. And that is precisely what he did. Michelangelo did not so much carve David out of the giant stone block as set him free him. It took 3 years for David to be fully realized.

David was and still is one of the most important works he ever created. No one would think it anything other than a true masterpiece. It stood in a Florence square for ages, until it was brought indoors to protect it, as a symbol of strength, duty and faith – and human form. David’s only indentifying features are the sling over his shoulder and the small stone in his right hand.

Michelangelo had an interesting approach to sculpting. He once wrote in a letter that sculpting was “taking away” from that which was already there. It might take him years to choose just the right piece of marble for a particular sculpture. Where some saw only a giant chunk of white rock, Michelangelo saw a shepherd boy facing down a giant. Where others saw only cold, hard marble Michelangelo saw a mother grieving over her son’s broken body. Great artists have great vision.

The Artist that created you and me, and Michelangelo, has that vision. When I look in the mirror I see nothing but a giant hunk of marble, hard, full of flaws and not what I want it to be. But when my Artist looks at me He sees something completely different.  He sees perfection.  He sees the heart, the love and the beauty that He created in me and that only He can release. He sees a masterpiece.

Just as the patrons viewing Michelangelo’s masterpieces do not dwell on his many stops, starts and re-dos during a project. Just as they do not see the rubble that he had to chisel away to release his figures from their stone prisons, God does not see our flaws and faults. “As far as the East is from the West” God casts our transgressions from us. (Ps. 103:12).

Where we see only a blank slate God sees all our potential and what we can become. He is waiting to create His work in us and all we have to do is ask. He is the original Artist and we are His masterpiece. There is nothing more stunning than that.
~

Rockfest Day 17 - Sunday Contemplation

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
(Mark 11:25-26)

Never underestimate the power of the words “I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

~

Rockfest Day 16 - A Little Texas Howdy

It is said that life is a journey. Well, if that’s true then it is one big car trip because there is just no way to fly to our destination. If we want to get where we are going we are going to have to drive. The road is long and the miles add up. There are certainly lots of days when the drive is hard and lonely. It sure would be nice to get a little Howdy from time to time to encourage us along the way.

Texas knows something about long journeys. We are a big state and have lots of long runs of road where you are likely to pass nothing more than a tumble weed for hours. As you travel the Texas highways one thing will come into sharp focus as you drive along. The cars and trucks that you pass engage in a little ritual, a little greeting. Drivers in Texas greet the people they meet along the way. Its a little ritual called the Texas two-finger wave. It’s a little Texas Howdy. Two fingers raised above the steering wheel just as you pass each other.

I love this ritual. I feel a kinship with my fellow road warriors. We may never meet but for a brief second we have made a connection, we are not alone. The two-finger wave says a lot for a little gesture. It says “Hi, nice to see you. Glad you’re here.” One little Howdy from a passerby and I don’t feel so on my own out there. I don’t know who started it or how it began, but Texans have been welcoming each other this way for as long as I’ve been alive.

The Texas two-finger wave doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter what you drive, what state your license plate announces you hail from or which direction you are headed. If you are on Texas highways and byways you will be welcomed with a little Texas Howdy.

The Texas two-finger wave is a strong comfort as we travel on our journey. “Hi, nice to see you, I’m glad you’re here.” – its unspoken greeting looks simple and unassuming but it packs a mighty big message.

On second thought, I think I do know Who started it.

~

Rockfest Day 15 - Unfinished Business

A coach once said “winners never quit and quitters never win.” That is as wise a statement as you’re likely to find. I am here to report I have been a non-winner many times in my life.

I have quit on things more than I like to admit. I’ve gotten so well practiced and good at quitting that sometimes I quit before I ever start. I always have good reasons though - I don’t have enough time, it’s taking too long, I don’t want to, I don’t know how, I’ll do it when ... [fill in the blank with a million excuses] - which is really a way of quitting without admitting it. And my favorite: I’m too tired.

Do you see a recurring theme in my very real but very weak reasons for quitting? Its there, right behind the tiredness – fear. Fear is the reason I most often quit. I can wrap it up in any number of ways I want to but when I rinse all the posturing away, fear is what is propping me up. And stopping me from finishing what I started.

You can call it a fear of success, I’ve heard that term used, although I don’t actually know what it means. I’ve heard it called a fear of failure. That term I understand; who wants to fail? Nobody looks or feels good when they fail.

There are days when the pull to quit are so strong it has thrown me into a panic. I have had physical reactions due to my desire to quit something. Now there are times when quitting is a must and that anxiety I feel is a signal to get out while I can. But most often it’s just me not wanting to live up to my commitments.

Right now I want to quit on something so badly I can feel it. I strongly dislike what I do for a living. I am good and effective at what I do. The people I work with are great. I love having a job and a paycheck. I have done what I do for a long time and I used to love it – now I don't find it fulfilling. So why don’t I quit? Good question.

Jesus wanted to quit – big time. When I think of Jesus I don’t think of a quitter, and he wasn’t, but He sure gave it some strong consideration. And being in His shoes who wouldn’t?

Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane the night the soldiers came to arrest Him. He went there because he was “deeply troubled and distressed” and wanted to pray. Jesus knew His fate and the cross that was in His future. We are told that three times He asked God to “take this cup away from me.” (Matt. 26:36-44, Mark 14:32-39). His desire to quit was so strong He sweated “great drops of blood.” (Luke 22:44). I don’t know if fear is what Jesus was feeling but whatever He was going through He really really wanted to quit at that moment.

Jesus wasn’t a quitter. Jesus was a finisher. In the same breath that Jesus asked His Father to stop what was about to happen, He also said “nevertheless, let Your will be done.” (Matt. 26:39, Mark 14:36). We know the rest of the story, Jesus did see His task to its completion and He said those glorious words – It is finished. (John 19:30).

I want to finish my business. I want to see this task to its completion. I won’t be at this job forever; I know it’s just a stop along the way. I will move on when the time is right and I want to hold on until then. And when the time is right I can say those glorious words, It is finished.

Whatever it is I am facing, it will never be as bad or as scary as what Jesus faced - and finished.  If I give into the fear that stands in my path I will never finish anything. Whatever label I put on my fear - weariness, I don’t want to, lack of know-how, lack of time - it’s still the same old quit at the end. I want to turn my quitting into non-quitting and my non-winning into winning.

I think that might make that old coach proud.

~

Rockfest Day 14 - The 11th Commandment

Ever have one of those days? One of those days when everything and everyone around you is going haywire? When everyone has lost their mind and they are making you lose yours? Days when, quite frankly, everyone you encounter is playing the part of the fool?

It begins by retrieving your newspaper out from under the bushes because the paperboy missed the driveway, again. Then the guy at the coffee shop didn’t put the lid on the coffee tightly and it spilled on you during your drive to work. Speaking of the drive, is it you or is everyone driving like a crazy person today cutting you off and stopping suddenly?

Work offers no safe haven, your computer keeps crashing. Despite what he says are his best efforts the IT guy can’t figure out the problem. Your lunch order is completely wrong and now you’re late for your meeting. Given the morning you’ve had, you have no optimism for this meeting going well, and it doesn’t. No one is prepared and no one agrees on anything; a second meeting will be now required.

You leave work early to meet the A/C repairman, who promises to be there between 2 and 5. At 7 you’ve given up all hope. The day has just about worn you completely down and all you want is a little peace when your teenage neighbor suddenly fires up his garage band for a little practice. As you sink lower into your couch turning up the TV volume with the remote control, one recurring thought keeps running through your mind – Where did all these fools come from and why am I a magnet for them??

Its days like this when you look Heavenward for a little guidance. So you do a mental check of God's handy dandy List of helpful tips to live by and realize you’re not even safe there. #3 was violated early on in the process (thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain), while you didn’t technically break #6, you really really wanted to several times (thou shalt not commit murder) and #10 is in serious trouble (thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house) because while you don’t covet at this moment you do want to take control of it and shut off the racket emitting from its garage, which also may lead to breaking #6.

The 10 commandments really are of no use to you here. There is not a one of them that you could have said to one of the people during your day to help them, and you, out. What you need is an 11th commandment. Something easy to understand. Something that can be easily taught to others when they need a quick education. Something short, simple and to the point. One you could use all day long to espouse wisdom and at the same time vent your frustration. Sort of a dual purpose commandment.

Scripture tells you that God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and He uses things that are weak to confound the mighty. (1 Cor. 1:27) This is good news – you’re completely confounded so you must be wise and mighty. You’re getting close to #11 but it still does not stop the fools from fouling up your day. Then you realize that perhaps #11 already exists.

The Ephesians were having trouble with fools themselves. They didn’t know what to do. Paul wrote to them and told them not to take up with them, don’t get sucked with the fools. He told them to make sure they “walk carefully in all situations not as fools but as wise.” (Eph. 5:15).

So there it is in black and white - #11 – Thou shalt not be a fool.

You feel so much better. This is going to come in very handy. You’re thinking about printing it on easy to hand out business cards and bumper stickers. You get up to go to bed, so pleased with your new found weapon against the fools of the world, and you put your foot into your half-eaten bowl of ice cream you placed on the floor next to the couch.  You can only smile and shake your head.  Yes, #11 is going to come in very handy indeed.

Let the confounding begin.

~

Rockfest Day 13 - The Shape of Things

Life is full of extraordinary circumstances. As we move through it we encounter chance happenings and unexpected moments that forever change our lives. We try to control the outrageous unknowns we experience by choosing the people in our lives. Its one of the few things we truly have control over.

But the people we choose can be a grab-bag of sorts. Some will fit and some will not. Some will become influential and some will have no effect whatsoever, passing through our lives like mist in the wind. It is probably the people we cannot choose that matter most. It is the people that were chosen for us that have the biggest effect.  It is the people chosen for us, the ones who start early in our lives who shape us most. It is these people we call family.

There are days when family is great and there are days when family is the worst thing that has ever happened. But there is something about this hand-picked group of people that draws us in and motivates us to keep us going.

Even when they’re dysfunctional they are the best thing going. My family can be infuriating. My family can be generous. My family can be unapproving. My family can be forgiving. My family can be indifferent. My family can be deeply loving. My family has made me laugh, made me cry, made me storm out in anger, made me jump for joy.  I am who I am because of my family. I am a part of my family and they are a part of me.

I had no choice about the matter. God put me into the family He did for the reasons He did - and one day He will explain those reasons to me. And I will thank Him profoundly.

I am a firm believer that there are no coincidences in this world. God has a plan. And part of His plan for me was to put me into a family full of wonderful women. Wonderfully diverse women. I have put a picture of some of these women below (there are wonderful men in the family too – they were just too busy watching football). It is a picture taken some time ago. I know it was taken ages ago because I’m still a small girl being held in her mother’s arms.

This is some of the family who shapes my life. Four of the women are no longer here. One of them, my aunt in the white dress, died prematurely just yesterday. She was a vibrant and gregarious woman. She had a wonderful laugh. She was my mother’s older sister; they were close and got into lots of trouble together. She will be deeply missed. But she will remain on in those she touched and who love her. And that’s a wonderful thing about family – once you are part of it, you never really leave it.

I am not discounting the fact that there are people we choose who become our family too. God had a hand in selecting those people for us also. They are a vitally and richly important part of our lives.  But it is those in whose histories we share for generations that help steer the course and color the world in which we grow up and live.

One thing about family is we completely take it for granted most of the time. But when “the chips are down” its family who sustains us. Its family who shapes us with its collective wisdom. Its family who protects us with its strength in numbers. Its family who loves us with its heart so big God could not fit it into just one person.

The women in this picture are my part of my foundation and my future. They are my family and the well from which I draw strength. I don’t know why God chose me for their tribe, I’m just thankful He did.

Family. God’s extraordinary way of showing he loves you.

~