family

for the past few weeks i've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a family. how we are one big, beautiful mess tied together, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part. how god gives us each other to love, and to grow. how we bear each other up in times of weakness.

family is the second best gift god gives us, besides himself. we play out a parable of his love in our love for one another: father and mother to child, husband and wife, sister and brother--each role uniquely reflecting a different aspect of god's own love for us. each family member shapes who we are. when we use that shaping power for ill, it's heartbreaking. when we use that power for good, it's a beautiful sight to behold.

i love my family. so i thought i'd introduce them to you, and honor each of them for the unique role they play in the story of my life. in the upcoming months, i hope to post a series of brief portraits of my family. and whom better to begin with than my mom? let's start at the beginning...a very good place to start... :o)

barbara is shy but spirited. stubborn even. (i come by it naturally on both sides. heehee!) aside from my life itself, i owe to her my great love of words and books and reading, inherited from her. she read to me incessantly from the time i was born, feeding my imagination. thanks, mom! and by the way, do NOT challenge this woman to a game of scrabble unless you're up for a battle royale! she may look innocent enough, but don't be fooled....

her life has never been easy, but god has used it to grow faith in her. she is a faithful prayer warrior. one of my most vivid memories of mom is her waking up every morning before the crack of dawn (WOW!) to quietly begin her day reading god's word and praying on the back porch. sometimes i'd tiptoe to the doorway to secretly watch her, listening to her speaking aloud with god on our behalf.

she has mad skills in the kitchen, and always made sure that we had healthy food and time set aside to have family meals together. my love for cooking and baking is another legacy from mom. i must call her at least once a month to ask her how to make something. and she always patiently explains.

when she was young, she looked a heck of a lot like elizabeth taylor. (though she's definitely aged more gracefully than elizabeth taylor, if you ask me.) ...creamy pale skin, dark hair, hazel green eyes, and perfectly heart-shaped lips. she's quite the beauty!

but what is really beautiful is how she lays down her life for others, in a way that i only hope and pray that someday god will teach me to do. she has brought me up to love god and follow paths of righteousness, and for that i am eternally grateful.

i love you, mom.