The Weirdness of Family

Meet Mager and Kong. These are Brandon and Kylie's Great Danes. They are huge and they are the most docile, lazy and trouble-free dogs I have ever seen. They have sweet and gentle personalities and they have been known to come and sit (like a real person) in your lap. That seems to be the norm for Great Danes. Mager is young and playful. Kong is old, gray and arthritic. He recently got a brown spider bite that was very painful - both for him and Brandon and Kylie - they had to doctor him round-the-clock, it was very expensive and they really thought at one point that he might not survive. With their great care he is again thriving.
Meet Elly. She belongs to Matt, our middle son. She is pretty and she's sweet but she sheds like crazy. She adores water and has been known to FROLIC in Brandon and Kylie's custom, one-of-a-kind water fountain at their home. (Much to their horror and consternation because Kong and Mager had no clue that you could/would or want to play in water.) Prior to Matt's marriage to Amy, we were the ones who had to babysit her when Matt had to be out of town. She really was fun and no trouble if you don't count the white hair EVERYWHERE, the dog poop in Billy's immacultely groomed yard and the drool on the windows and doors. What's a little inconvenience with family, right? When Matt married Amy their little family grew to include Katie, a rescue lab, Charles, a Chihuahua, Maude, a Persian cat, Brie, a stray cat and Harley, a horse. If you are wondering why they are not pictured above - I am a little overwhelmed at the thought of trying to get a 'family' picture.

This post is really not going to be religious. It's going to be a way for me to vent. You see.....I would like some homo sapien grandchildren. Nothing wrong with the four-legged kind if you are an animal lover but frankly, I'm not. I'm a nurse. I don't like drool, poop or dander. I don't like being dirty. Now, I know what you're thinking......kids are dirty. They poop. But for the most part it's contained. And it's sweet to wash kids. It's a nightmare washing dogs. And to me - well, they smell worse wet.

sigh

Our church encourages adoption. Billy said that was meant for younger people.

sigh

I had some abnormal blood work at my annual physical this year. I warned the children I might not be able to babysit if they didn't hurry.

smile

I don't think they were convinced.

sigh

Family. My family. They are just weird to me. By their age I had kids in school.

sweet memories flooding in

But you know what? They're my weird family and I adore them. You probably already guessed that.

smile

It takes all kinds to make family. Some of us are weirder than others. But when the rubber meets the road we are bound by invisible cords that stand the storms of life and the minor irritations only stand to give us something to laugh at when the day is done. I'm not a perfect mother - according to my boys I'm not even a great one - but I am crazy in love with my kids - ALL of them. And in the scheme of things, that is the greatest gift I can give them. My crazy, mad, umbilical cord-of- steel love.

Life is tough. Bad things happen. Love endures. Tell your family you love them today. Hug them harder. Forgive them more quickly. Blow off the unimportant.

One of the greatest gifts of getting older is realizing that - shhhhh, it's a well-kept secret.................

"WE'RE ALL WEIRD!!!!!!"

So stop sweating the small stuff. Stop comparing. Stop worrying. Love. It bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love NEVER fails." And at the end of it all, to know that we loved well is the greatest epitaph of all.

I love you!