The Family

I write a lot. I do not, by any means, call myself a writer. I am sure my mother would cringe and in red ink mark up most of what I write. She is an english teacher and still corrects my speech to this day. And, so I am doing that to  my own children, I learned how to do that pretty well I think. This morning I have been procrastinating from doing the laundry and other mundane mommy chores and instead have searched through my computer and all the files I have saved for years. Some are things others wrote that I want to keep forever. Some are things I have written. Yet, I cannot recall what prompted me to write some things, if not for the date that is saved when you save a document I would have no idea when I wrote it. I obviously do not share much of what I write, maybe I have a small fear that someone will tell me that was stupid…darn those childhood things that stick with you. I have written a few stories, personal stories about somethings I have gone through. I am not ready to put those stories out there yet. Many will judge and well one of them is extremely personal but extremely hilarious and I am not sure I can get past the “so when they look at me is that what you think of” feeling. That story I have shared with people. It is really funny, your cheeks will hurt, your stomach will be sore and you will cry. But you have to wait.

But today I want to share with you about my family. Since I like to write down the great and positive things of my kids so they know what mommy thinks of them as they get older I can only assume the day I wrote this I was feeling nostalgic and loving on my family something fierce.

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck 

The husband. He’s the lead strange one… He’s never where he should be but always there when you need him… He can be late, wrong, right, uninterested, and intensely focused. He can rarely reads minds but continues to try none the less… Clearly he loves his family deeply… His wife… a lover, best friend, confidant, critic, and cheerleader… She knows him better than he knows him self… His kids… a wild and unruly bunch with so much energy, love, and mischief wrapped up in such small packages… the pillars of his life… he knows that without them everything he knows will crumble in on itself… He is himself thru each of them… love, life, and… family.

The wife. She is the OCD one… Always has a schedule and breathes better when things are clean and organized. She knows what everyone else needs more than she knows her own needs. She loves to be creative and even more she loves to have family and friends fill her home. She will cook you a great meal and make sure you laugh or cry, whatever it is you need. You will leave feeling better and she will be sad to see you go but anticipates the next visit. She adores the hugs, kisses and naps she gets with her kids, she only wishes the naps together happened more often. Her husband is her opposite and they make it work seamlessly, well most of the time. He is a compliment to her. He helps her to see her worth and beauty. Her kids…she wants the best for them and she worries over their future…who they will be, how they will love, and her strongest desire for them is so to seek God, find Him and be a person after His heart. She prays that their happiness comes from loving and caring for others not for fame or fortune.

 So the oldest is confident. She knows who she is and what she wants. Her beauty is wonderful. She is sensitive and caring. She directs and reports on all the family’s events, both public and private. She takes after her mother. She is highly competitive and creative always looking for ways to turn an ordinary Tuesday into and extra-ordinary party.

Next in line is the blonde. She is extremely intelligent but easily distracted. She will blow you away with her creativity and problem solving. She loves big; always seeking for the cuddle, hug, kiss or touch. She doesn’t know how to love any less than to love more than she has got. She is quite determined. Her beauty… breathtaking. Her way of thinking about things has always been beyond her years.

The boy… He is all heart. He was born chivalrous. He is sensitive to you and wants nothing more than your love and approval. He is a care taker; he will be a great provider one day. He adores his sisters. He admires his father and wants to be like him. His mother is who he watches out for, when she is not alright he is concerned and is there to make her feel better. He is his little sisters best play mate and strongest protector.

The baby girl… She was a joy filled surprise. She loves to laugh. She loves the chase. Her hugs are the best! She is also determined and opinionated. She will not accept you quickly, you must earn her attention and love. She is more like her mama than the others. She is picky, knows how she wants things, just like her mama. She is the ultimate cuddler, can’t resist lying on her mama and she will fall asleep in an instant. She loves to swing; we can only wonder what the love of the wind in your hair and the flight will lead to.