Beckah and I were invited out to visit V's family for Thanksgiving, so on Tuesday night, we set off, to arrived in Westerville (pop. 52), Nebraska at around 5pm on Wednesday. So far, I have done the following:
Made friends with a pet sage-hen named Stretch
Explored a tree-house
Roasted hot dogs in a fire-pit
Chased chickens for the sheer childish joy of it
Eaten lots and lots of PIE
Jumped on a trampoline
Sprained my pinky toe getting off the trampoline
Explored a 100+ year old cemetary
Tried to get the right face attached to 11 names
Had a marshmellow/capture the flag war, both inside and outside
Participated in at least 3 wrestling matches
Had a salamander placed on my head at the Thanksgiving dinner table
Eaten an ice-cream cone at Emily's soda fountain in Broken Bow
Explored the old cars in a dried up creek bed
Climbed all over construction equipment and held my breath while V risked life and limb doing the same in much more dangerous ways
Watched V and Beckah and Jason play video games on Jason's high definition, surround-sound, 17-inch TV, with his new PS3
Discovered that it is actually possible to have a happy, healthy, non-dysfunctional family of 11
The last is the most important event. Although the salamander on my head comes in a close second. Funnily enough, in a house of 11 kids ranging from ages 5 to 22, it was the 22-year-old who put the salamander on my head. Dear V. He'll never fully grow up, and I love him for it.
This family absolutely astounds me. If you were to ask me why I couldn't believe it was possible to have a family this close and healthy before, I'd tell you that it was because I'd never seen it. They've had their share of adventures and heartaches...V's been hospitalized twice because of mental illness, Lisa suffered kidney failure in her early childhood, Kaitlyn was born a month early, jobs and houses have been in jepoardy. But still, the entire family joins in chores, and family prayer, and conversations in bed. I WANT THAT. I don't know exactly how to have it in my own life, but by golly, am I willing to learn. I don't want a perfect family. I don't even know what that is. I want a loving family. A family that will always always always love and support, through kidney failures and Zyprexa and financial peril and flu bugs and arguments and sprained ankles.
I won't make this blog very long...I've got to jump in the shower, but I pray that I will have the guidance to build a family one day like the one that V comes from.
1 comment:
hehehe...sounds like you had fun anyways.
You'll get the chance for a family like that liz. But Family is what you make it. Too bad ours didn't decide to try until too late. But I still love you, and I miss the 3 of us singing together. And I think we'll have to do some after-christmas caroling together.
I hope eerything is going well, and I can't wait till christmas when you guys come back.
-isha
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