Fun Family Time

One of the things I wanted to talk about at some point is the joy of family life. Last night we had a great dinner together. Nothing spectacular, but good conversation with Samantha being fairly "appropriate" with her input and not talking over us the whole time, which has been a problem we've frequently had with her. I don't think we talked about any grandiose topic, but that's precisely my point, that we just enjoyed being together. This is something I think I wouldn't be as thankful for if business had continued as usual without the situation with Ethan or my own health struggles.














Families go through ups and downs with how they relate to each other. We have our share of disagreements, misunderstandings, snapping at each other and all that "stuff". We're sinners, it goes with the territory. But when the rubber meets the road, we make sure we're there for each other. With teenagers coming into their own, there's a more distinct line being drawn between one generation vs. another, but we try to major on the majors and not get caught up in the minors. We know how radically things can change in an instant and don't want to waste time fretting over things that will all eventually pass.

I want my children to be responsible and all that stuff. I've seen all of them grow incredibly in that way this past year. So when there are the minors of clutter piling up around, I remind myself that Ethan is being very productive in school, taking his meds independently (and there are LOTS of them), participating in youth group and a couple Bible studies with friends and a mentor, running his own video business, and finding time to have meaningful relationships with his peers. I remind myself that Bryan is producing original music, leading worship at youth group, being a witness at school, maintaining a near perfect GPA, teaching guitar, and doing Bible study with friends and a mentor, and so on. Katrina and Samantha are each developing in so many ways with their various activities, ice skating, piano, swimming, ballet, to name a few. I'm out of time but the point is it's great to watch them do their thing and make the most of the precious time they have.