Family has many different faces. There's the so-called traditional family made up of parents and children (Or as all Chinese students learning English recite, "Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, and Me"). Then there are the close friends with whom we have intertwined our joy and brokenness, rejoiced in triumph and cried in failure. Next we have the people we meet and had that instant, unforgettable connection, where our stories collided and we in turn received a new chapter to our personal story. Every one of us has our own unique families, made up of members from a multitude of encounters and situations.
If people are keys,
Then family's the box
And each of the keys
Adds more to the box,
So long as it's meant to be.
-Abigail Rose Lindner
The part of my family that shares the same last name consists of my mom and dad, my older brother, followed by me, my two teenage sisters, and soon-to-be-a-Lindner little brother. But it doesn't stop there. We have had the pleasure of having foster children come through our home. Friends stay for extended lengths at a time. Seeing the love and laughter that comes through all of this has given me first hand proof that both of those actions can truly break through any barrier. Our family was formed in special ways, to say the least. And although there has been hurt and heartbreak followed by such love, the light has always outshone the darkness. I find such joy in watching the different ways my family grows.
What a blessing it is having the Creator of the World, creating our family. He told us to love, so I myself, along with my family, will love at all cost. It is undeniably the most important thing we can do.
Quick explanation for the title. I snapped a picture of my dad using the computer with his glasses on the tip of his nose, literally the farthest point physically possible for the glasses to stay on his nose. Made me giggle and appreciate my parents. My 49-year-old Pops (and 39-year-old Mama...for the 9th year in a row) has a 26-year-old son and now a three and a half year old son. That takes a lot of guts, a lot of love, and a lot of obedience to our Heavenly Father.
~ Jenna
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| Finally got approval to travel to complete this little guy's adoption! |
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| Picture mentioned above |
