Beautiful Ohio!

What a wonderful trip to Ohio! All of my siblings (there are 6 of us) gathered at my parents for a summer time party and most of their children came too. My children were not able to be there. So here's the list: Sister C and her husband, her three daughters and husbands/boyfriend with five little ones (and one on the way); my brother and four of his six children, my sister from Texas, her husband and son, my sister from Delaware, Ohio, her husband and two of her children, my brother from Lebanon, Ohio and his three children. That's 33…and then my aunt and cousin came…35 of us! It was noisy, fun and you could feel the energy of love!

I have not lived in my home town for over 15 years and only a few times have we gathered there during the summer at my parent's house. We have gone to the beach several times as a group and to the mountains, but with mom and dad getting older it's easier on them for us to go to Ohio. I had forgotten just how beautiful Ohio is and I'll download the pictures soon.

We did have a scare on our way there. I called my mom to tell her our estimated arrival time and she seemed a little disoriented. She was talking slow and couldn't remember things...like my husband's name. We've been married for 26 years! She told me her fingers were going numb and she thought maybe she had a stroke. I called my sister who went to their house and they called the squad. It wasn't a stroke but they think a seizure. I hope she tells her heart doctor because it really sounds like she is not getting enough oxygen to her brain. She said she has told her doctor that recently but he didn't think it was anything. Hope he's right. She was fine within a few hours and she will have a follow up in the next week.

It is so relaxing being around people who love you no matter what. They know the good, the bad and the ugly of me and may even at times get upset with me, but their love covers a multitude of sin. We are blessed to be a part of a God fearing family for when we go through crisis, such as divorce, job loss or when Jamie and Brittany were called home to be with the Lord, we have the common thread of prayer and the strength of the Lord to get us through. I am so thankful God put me in this family and I only pray they feel the same.

My Interpretation:

There is a marvelous ethos that has been created within my family that gets better and better each year.