After having spent an evening coloring eggs, enjoying a delicious roast, great conversation and loving company, I would have to say that there is no doubt in my mind that my "F" word is Family.
I can not tell you enough how blessed I am to have married into such a wonderful
family! Let me tell you, this is not ordinary
family, either.
My husband, Dean's parents divorced when he was a toddler and later remarried other people. SOooo, I do not have one set of in-laws, but two. Which meant that I basically had to be liked by both
families before Dean would marry me. He made it perfectly clear that he could not marry someone that his
family did not like or approve of. Not that he thought there would be a problem, that was how he felt. The respect he has for his parents and love for his
family made me love him more. Thank God I didn't know this before meeting them, because I would have not been myself!
What are the odds of marrying into one awesome
family, let alone two?
Even with all my ghosts and skeletons, baggage, and quirks (lol, that word just makes me giggle)... they not only took me into their
family as their daughter-in-law, but made me a part of their
family... their daughter.
As shared with you in earlier posts, Dean's mother Sally became our guardian angel nearly seven years ago. For the few years that I knew her, when I first dated Dean and early into our marriage, Sally was my best friend. She was an amazing woman, who raised some pretty awesome people. Her husband Bob, of over thirty-five years, just as awesome as she, is an awesome father-in-law.
Dean's father Ferris, is a wonderful father. He is a true leader and provider of his
family. I have never met a man so dedicated to his
family, as he is. His wife Gene, is a humble, amazing Christian woman herself, as well as a wonderful role model. They are my mom and dad, and I address them as such.
Since moving to Texas, Deans parents have done nothing but help us get back on our feet. They worry and care for their family, as a
family was meant to do. They are also the best grandparents a little girl could ask for. I love to sit back and watch them love up on each other. There's a certain sparkle in their eyes.
Then there are Dean's siblings.. between his mother and father, he has four brothers and one sister. Dean has an older half-brother from his mom (which his father adopted at a young age), as well as a younger step-brother (Bob's son from his first marriage) and a younger half-sister (17 years than younger Dean) . From his dad, he has two younger half-brothers (17 and 20 years younger than Dean).
So now you know the players. I broke it down for you so you could have a visual... however, in both of these respective
families (Dean's mother's and his father's,) the words "half" and "step" never uttered. They are all brothers and sister, within their respective families. With Sally, that was just as much her son as it was Bob's. With Gene, Dean and his older brother are just as much her sons, as are her own biological sons. I have never witnessed any labels of division used, such as "half" and "step."
Each and everyone of my brother-in-laws and my sister-in-law are, for lack of a better description, wonderful, respectful, quality people!! I have learned so much from every one of them!
I am so blessed to have married into such a united, loving Family.
He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too. ~Benjamin Franklin
A happy family is but an earlier heaven. ~George Bernard Shaw
A family is a little world created by love. ~author unknown
Blessings to all!!
62 days to go...
... for a, l & c. You are my sunshine(s).
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