We all have damage. See those smiling faces. The man began this relationship with insomnia, nightmares, and a sense of urgency because things usually fell apart. The woman began with a wall so high that it took a great love to break it down and had her world shattered just a few years after marriage with the dissolution of everything she thought family was. Maybe one day, after a lot of therapy, we can each share our stories and how they made us who we are today, but for now, I want to share with you what it looks like for two people to give it all to God and each other. We have failed each other, built each other up, comforted one another, and pushed the other to not wallow in the sadness. We have witnessed so much of each other’s soul and it’s sometimes in these moments that I feel I truly get an insight into what makes us a FAMILY.
For me, family was once something I thought of as this ginormous group of people. It was Aunts, uncles, cousins, second, third…and so on. I feel as though Randy somewhat felt the same. We could go almost anywhere in our hometown and he was related to what felt like everyone somehow. As we’ve grown into our 7-year marriage, my view of family has vastly shifted based on life events, removing toxic people from our life, and really focusing my time on the people who matter the most. What I feel like God has blessed me with is this precious little family that is protected by the fierce love Randy and I have for one another and for what we’ve created. Our families built us into who we are, and we are taking those lessons of love to grow and mature our family. We have a small group of people that truly know us (blood relatives and chosen family) and that feels truly comforting. We trust those people with Auggie, our most precious gift from God, and we know he is safe with them.
In writing this, I realize that some people are blessed with larger families and that makes me incredibly happy and grateful for you <3. But, for us, at this juncture of our family life, we keep things small. We keep things fun and we keep them sacred. That’s my hope for all of you. No matter how large or small, blood or chosen, that you find a PEACEFUL group of people who truly know and love you to journey through this life. From a recent quote I found,
“You are worth it.”
A Revamped Life 