Amazing Nieces and Nephews

Hello, I hope if you are reading this that your day has been blessed and that you are aware of all of the circumstances of your life that God has shaped to bring you to this exact moment. I hope that you are thankful for His perfect plan for your life. I know that some of you may be in a place of joy and others of you may be in a place of pain.  I have learned to be thankful for the pain because I draw nearer to God and the painful circumstances always cause my life to make sharp right turns in my path and as I look back, the right turns are the best because they are ALL God and ZERO Tracy.

Today my blog is about my amazing family that I am thankful for.  I come from a big family and my brother and sister have 9 children between them.  I did not have children and was always sorrowful that I did not have children but tonight I am so thankful that I did not have children because I can see why God did not allow me to have children.  The first reason that I am thankful is because God used my aching desire for children to seek His comfort and leading.  That love of children that He gave me caused me to begin teaching children and then He called me to begin a children's bible study at the ladies bible study that I attend.  I feel like I finally have found where I can serve God wholeheartedly and devote my life to His service.  The second reason that I am thankful that I do not have children is that He blessed me richly with the most amazing 9 nieces and nephews.  If I had children of my own, I would not have had time or energy to spend time with my nieces and nephews and would not have been so interested in their lives.

I want to brag some about three of them today and about my brother and sister-in-law and my sister and brother-in-law.  I love my brother and sister so much.  Some of you may not have a good relationship with your siblings or maybe your life is busy and you do not spend as much time as you could sharing their lives.  Your siblings are the only people in the world that shared the same experiences that you had growing up.  They are the only people in the world that know every part of you and hopefully still love and accept you.  They are the people who "get you" at a level that is inexplicable.  They are the people that you can give a look and they know what you are thinking or that you know have your back when the going gets hard. They are the people who know the funniest stories of your life.  My brother and sister are great people and they married great people and are still married to those great people 30ish years later.  They also have raised all of their children to be amazing young adults who I love dearly and am so proud of. I am proud of them for raising great godly kids in a society that does not encourage godliness.


Niece number 1 - She was the first and only for four years as a baby and had to forge the way for all those that came behind her.  She is truly a virtuous woman.  She loves and depends on the Lord and it is clear that she has a heart for God.  She is a loving, dedicated mom and is a very loving, kind and supportive wife.  Her life is about making a warm, loving home.  She is an accomplished artist who is sought after for commissioned pieces.  She is a published author. She looks for good in all things.  She notices the little things and is grateful for them.  She personifies loving God, husband, children and family in exactly that order.  I never have heard her be cruel to anyone.

Nephew number 1 - He has always been a complex child.  So very smart and so brave to try new and different things.  He is a godly husband and father and is the head of his household as God calls him to be.  He and his wife are in their 20's and I believe that they are completely debt free.  He is a hard worker and provides for his family so that his wife is able to be a stay at home mom with their 4 children.  He is a master builder.  He is an accomplished musician and a virtuoso on a guitar.  I can watch his videos of him playing the guitar and I am in awe.  I remember buying his first guitar and being very afraid that his parents would kill me for the noise.  He attacks everything with purpose, practice and precision.  His work ethic has always been amazing.

Nephew number 2 - This nephew is the one that I have spent the most time with of all of them.  He and I trekked to hockey games and built wonderful memories.  He has graduated from Pepperdine University and has a very good job.  He has bought his home and is doing some traveling.  He is an accomplished photographer.  The other day, I was looking through his photos on facebook and I found a picture of him speaking to a group of elderly people in a convalescent hospital.  He looked so grown up.  He was holding the bible in his hands and I started crying because I am so proud of how he has grown closer to God as he has matured and is involved in serving God in a wonderful way.  He makes me laugh all of the time because he has a superb sense of humor.  He will make an amazing husband and father when he meets the right girl. 

I hope you did not mind me bragging.  I was overcome by love and admiration.  I have been searching through old photographs at my Mom and Dad's and seeing them as babies but knowing them as adults is a great treasure here on earth and therein lies one of the jewels in my heart. 

I am praying that tropical storm Debby comes to Oklahoma but am thinking I may not get my way.  My next blog will be about my garden and pets.