Recently, I was able to make it home to celebrate some family birthdays & enjoyed writing this. I wasn’t able to put the finishing touches in until now, but I hope you enjoy it:) Blessings
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I always enjoy the look on people’s faces when I tell them there are seven kids in my family.
Typically there are looks of shock, disbelief, and something along the lines of, “Are they crazy? Don’t they know that’s weird?!??” All rolled into one haha. Then if I happen to mention that we were all pretty much homeschooled, it just gets better from there. I remember this one Sunday when I was really young, that my sister & I had taken our fussy sibling out of the church service {admittedly, sometimes it wasn’t the younger ones that were fussy lol}, but anyways: we’re sitting there in the nursery with all of the other little ones, and this woman must have been new because I remember her quietly making small-talk with my older sister, and when my sister mentioned that there were 7 of us, the woman proceeded to quietly ask my sister whether my mom was Dad’s second wife or not. Which I can almost understand now, because my mother has always looked super young for her age, but I remember being really confused & laughing while my oldest sister {who was *not* amused at this} explained that we all have the same mom. Who knows what that woman thought then. But it was hilarious.
I have had fantastic parents. My dad with his strong personality, my mum with her tenderness. Their Christ-like love for people, generosity, {The Gospel}, and hospitality. Dad’s {hilarious} sense of humor, Mom’s attempts not to laugh, until Dad wins & she bursts out laughing. Dad awake at dawn making coffee & breakfast for his bride, Mom still in her fuzzy robe & slippers, sipping coffee & having her morning devotions. I am so blessed.
Growing up, my dad would always listen to southern gospel music. Gaither Vocal Band (The Homecoming, all that), Ernie Haaus & etc, The Isaacs, etc…and it always drove me crazy. I would hear it playing loudly in the hall & I would cringe, when would he find good taste in music? haha But last week when I was creating a playlist of the songs I remembered the most, and found myself singing along to them, I had to laugh. It’s funny how those things stay with you, even grow on you:) The familiarity is sweet to me.
I’ve always loved being a part of a large family. My siblings & I have always had so much fun together. When there are as many kids as there were in my family, there is always someone to hang out with, some adventure to go on. {I can’t tell you how many times I played “Colonial Barbie” or “SomethingLikeOregon-Trail-Pioneer-We Have No Food or Water Travelling By Wagon In The Dead Of Winter-Barbie with my older sister.} We were lucky and lived on a bigger property as kids, where we were free to roam, climb, get lost. Most of my childhood was spent playing dress-up, climbing trees, building forts of all kinds, trying to bake without burning the house down, & harassing my younger siblings (I was a sweet child lol). Even luckier, we were homeschooled. Which meant studying in our pajamas mostly, but it also meant my mom incorporating ancient mythology into my elementary education just because I liked it. It meant my dad teaching my older sisters Latin in before they entered highschool. It meant taking a break to build stuff in the garage with my dad, and being taught piano & sewing by my mom (both of which I am terrible at now, but that’s not the point! ;)). It meant having a home filled with books, people, and imagination, and I am so grateful. I wouldn’t be the same individual without growing up the way that I did. I have learned so much about what it means to love people, *really* love them, conflict, flaws, & all…and live in community with one another. Community; which is so much of my heart. I haven’t always been as thankful for my upbringing, but I know that it has made me who I am & every bit of it has been used in my life. God is *faithful.*
Maybe this has been a super boring read, maybe it’s a ridiculous cheese-fest, but I’m home & the blessings show more every time I return:)
thisbeautifulchaos
heart cry 