Family: Five Minute Friday

Another week, another chance to write on a one-word prompt for only five minutes. We set timers, type quickly, and let it flow without criticism. Then, we link-up our posts so we can read others' posts and they read ours and we have a community that grows from one word each week.
Five Minute Friday.

Go!

Tonight's prompt is "Family". I come from a larger family. I remember my first Christmas away from "home". I was a newlywed with my husband, his sister, and his parents. I kept feeling like there was somebody missing. We've now been married 11 years. His sister married her husband a year after we were married. We have three girls and they have three boys, all fairly close in age. We had two overlapping pregnancies.

Though I have his family only 100 miles from our home (my parents and most of my siblings are over 400 miles away), our "family" where we live is our church family. My daughters are at a Christian school where I've been so blessed to teach this year. That is another part of my "family".
My third family has come from the relationships that have sparked after beginning the Five Minute Friday journey in January. Through reading other peoples' blogs and leaving comments, and the same receipt of reads and comments, I have gotten to know some beautiful souls. I will definitely forget some if I try to list them...but you know that you touch my heart, friends. :)

These people will still be with me in eternity. As my friend Kristy refers to it, "eternal friends". But for some of these relationships, there is such a deep bond that it's not just friendship. It's family. When we rally around each other in prayer, we bond. We become family.

I've had friends in crisis recently. We spread the word and lifted them up and checked in frequently and they're finally coming home after a week and a half. We have become their family.

Family is who you do life with. Your "life group" at church can become your family. Ours has. We help each other with meals, moving, babysitting, and just listening when we need a friend.

I'm so thankful for the growing family that I'm a part of. There are so many people that I have yet to meet that will be part of my family forever!

And, if you want to keep connecting with me, would you list your url or linkup number when you comment? I won't be able to find you otherwise since bloglovin doesn't give me a blogger option. I guess wordpress is the best. Wish I'd have known that in 2011 when I started. :D


~Tammy