The Fellowship of the Brethren

We go to church
To fellowship with the brethren
And to sit under the influence of the Holy Spirit as He works through a plurality of men
Amen

I can't tell you how blessed I am to be going to a school where every single person I pass in the hallways is a person I consider a part of my family.  It's so encouraging to be able to go to church with many of these people, and to have amazing conversations with each of them, to study alongside them, and to share meals with many of them.

I have spent many hours over the past several days in their company.  We have spent time eating dinner, watching movies, talking, and laughing together.  Yesterday morning, several went to church with me.  I love worshiping with my family!

Nothing is more encouraging than spending time with the Body of Christ.  I am bound to these people by the Holy Spirit, and even though we differ in many ways, we all agree where it counts.  Let's face it, the differences we have just add personality to our gatherings.  The world would be a boring place indeed if we all thought and acted exactly alike.

God has given me a beautiful gift, and I will give thanks for it.

Reflections

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you."

 A. A. Milne

Life.  It flows along much like a stream, gliding seamlessly over its bed, waiting for no man.

In the blink of an eye, my summer has flown by.  It feels like I just fell into the welcoming arms of my family as I returned home from school.  It feels like I just began to cherish and store up all the hugs and kisses that Helen and Josiah gave me.  It feels like I just now have time to process all that I learned while I was away.

But life - ah, dear sweet life - has floated along at its usual rapid pace, and even though it seems that I have just dipped my toes in to test the waters, I've been swept so much further along the way than my brain has had time to think about.

I've spent many hours, 330 to be exact, working.  I've made guacamole, sold guacamole, stocked produce shelves, pushed carts in from the lot, bagged thousands of groceries, helped hundreds of customers to their cars, scanned thousands of groceries, returned who knows how many items, handed out who knows how many receipts, and asked the same questions every two minutes during my 6-8.5 hour shifts.

On the home-front, I've spent many hours with my sister soaking in the joys that the show "Monk" brings.  I've played multiple rounds of our family favorite, "Take 2."  I've spent a good deal of time laughing with Mom and Dad as we live up to our usual snarkiness.  I've enjoyed evenings spent with friends, catching up, seeing movies, having dinner.  I've appreciated Chik-Fil-A on their special day with a co-worker and her husband.

Even though it doesn't really feel like I've had much of a summer, I really have in all actuality.

God has allowed me some much-loved time with my family.  He has allowed me the feeling of exhaustion after working in the hot sun.  He has allowed me joy.  He has allowed me happiness and grace.  He has allowed me sanctification.  He has allowed me to share Himself with one of the families He has given me.

My friends, God has been good to me.

My heart is full - oh so full!

School starts up in a week.  If this semester is anything like the last, then I know it will be full of adventures, joys, and challenges.  But most of all, it will be a time of spiritual growth.

Somehow, it won't be any easier to say goodbye, but it will be wonderful to return to my school roots.  My heart will fill with pain again as I give my family one last hug and one last kiss.  It will be bittersweet when I insert my key into the lock at my apartment for the first time this semester.

My heart will ache with the pain of farewell, but will swell with joy as I say hello.

And so, I will continue to float down this river called life, and I will continue to be kept inside His will.

It has been a good summer, and I know that it will be a great fall as well.

Bound by Love

We're siblings.  Three people obviously from the same family -- mannerisms, humor, values, interests -- and we've got the memories to prove it.

I remember one time Mom instructed the three of us to study together for our history exam.  We holed ourselves up in Zach and Luke's room and "studied" hard.  Haha, who am I kidding?  We spent the whole time spouting off our favorite movie quotes, mimicking each other, and laughing!  Haha, such great memories!  For those of you concerned, I do believe the average grade on that test was a 98.  :P


Zach, I never told you before, but all through high school, I was competing with you grades-wise.  Yes, every single Spanish, history, vocabulary, and economics test we ever took together, I wanted to beat you!  Unfortunately, that was rarely the case.  ;)  Without knowing it, you pushed me to do well!

Luke, you kept me wanting to whap you over the head with my notebook during history discussions!  :P  Mom's nickname for you, Prez, fits you well indeed.  You're going to go far and will make some drastic (and much-needed) changes in this country.  I fully believe you will have a huge impact on this world.


At the end of August, Zachary will be headed to Longview to continue his education in Air Traffic Control Management.

I'll be headed to Dallas to continue studying for Biblical Studies with a focus in Counseling.

Luke will be headed north to Michigan for his college career where he'll be pursuing a degree in Political Science.

We're siblings, obviously from the same family, but headed in three very different directions ... but with the common bond of the Holy Spirit.

What hurts the most is that our days of being each others constant companions has officially come to a close.  We're all moving on, pursuing adventures all our own.  Rarely now will our stories overlap.  But that's okay.  This is how it needs to be.  And you know what?  We'll always be friends.  Always.

I praise God for my family and how He graciously allowed us the friendship with each other that we have.  God is good, so very good, even through bittersweet moments of growing up and doing what we have been called to do.

Camping...

My fellow tent-setter-upper and I.  This guy was a trooper!

So, two days ago, I did the unthinkable.  I took 4 of my younger siblings, by myself, camping.  Yes, my friends, camping.  Actually, 3 of them were very responsible and were not a problem.  Only the youngest of them, Miss Talkalot, was a bit of a handful.

Not sure why we bothered with a clothesline since we were ALWAYS

in the water!  :P

However, we did have a good time, getting lots and lots and lots and lots and ..... okay, you get the point .... we got lots of swimming in.  :)

We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, a gorgeous morning, and great outdoor weather all-around, unless you wanted to sleep, in which case the stillness and heat did nothing to summon a quickness to slumber.  But other than waking up about once an hour to silence Miss Talkalot, buy a cold drink from the vending machine for a certain over-heated brother, and calm a scared-just-had-a-nightmare sister, I had a great night's sleep!

The first night, we gathered kindling, and built a legit fire.  I was able to make
some scrambled eggs for supper, and then we all had fun roasting marshmellows and eating s'mores.  The next day, however, we were so tired that we just showered charcoal in lighter fluid, lit a match, and tried to cook our hot dogs before the flames went out.  Much lighter fluid was used in the making of lunch.


After that, we swam for another couple of hours, packed up camp, and headed home with what I'd like to think as an added healthy glow to our skin, but what Mom would like to say was closer to sunburn than anything else.  Difference in opinions, that is all.

The little people enjoying the water

We had fun, but I think I'll wait for a time when the WHOLE family can go camping next time.

Pictures of my lovely family

If you're on facebook, then you've probably already seen these, but I felt that my blog was completely devoid of picturehood, and so, here they are.  And because it is my blog, after all, you shouldn't complain.  ;)

....  The end ....

My Loves

Pictured l-r, children #'s: 6, 10, 7, 9, and 5

Have I mentioned that I love these guys?  Well I do.

A Quiet Evening at Home

It's evening
The sun is setting
The temperature is cooling

Zach Boy is in the backyard playing soccer with Ethan
Grace and Luke are sitting quietly on the couches in the family room, each lost in their own little world
Dad is in his study, typing away furiously at his sermon which he must deliver tomorrow morning

The smell of leftover dinner fills all of the downstairs as it has yet to be put away
Mom is summoning some of the little ones upstairs for bedtime rituals
Helen starts in with the first of what will be many excuses as to why she should still be up

The wind is blowing the trees
Jacob is bantering with Zach Boy
The lights are starting to flip on all throughout the house

This. This is what I love.
This.  This is home.

Thankfulness Part 2

11.  Having the most number of textbooks for one semester than I've ever had, but paying the less for them than I ever have
12.  Naps
13.  Beautiful weather
14.  Running trails 2 minutes away from home
15.  Hot showers
16.  Work/study jobs
17.  Good books
18.  Clean clothes
19.  Email conversations
20.  Phone calls where Dad sets it on speaker phone so the whole family can be all together again

Unique Friendships

Yes, sibling friendships suddenly became very important to me.  I have a completely different relationship with each one of my siblings.  With Zach, I share serious conversations, a few inside jokes, and ultimately, I share my heart.  He's like my sounding board, seeing things that I don't.  I have great respect for him because he always roots his decisions and principles in Scripture.  Everything is black-and-white to him, and he will not act outside of what his conscience dictates.

Then there's my friendship with Luke.  Perhaps I should have mentioned in the below post that wherever Zach and I were, Luke was never far behind.  The three of us were thick as thieves, and when Zach went away, Luke and I got even closer!

Luke is the brother with whom I stay up late into the night.  We watch Foyle's War together, share MANY, many, many inside jokes,  and just all around enjoy hanging out together.  Luke is my best bud!  There was one evening a few weeks back when he spent the night at a friend's house.  After all the little people went to bed, it was just me and my parents.  Around 11 O'clock, both Mom and Dad decided they were going to go to bed.  I couldn't believe it!  Luke and I often stay up way past 2 a.m.!  What was I going to do for 3 hours by myself???  Yes, without Luke, I often feel bored and lost.  =)

There's a uniqueness found in sibling friendships.  They've seen you at your absolute best, and they've certainly seen you at your rock-bottom worst.  They offer a unique perspective on your life, knowing everything about you, yet loving you anyway.

My family has been fortunate enough to be closely knit.  We can joke and tease each other, but heaven help the outsider who tries to do the same!  We're each other's most powerful protectors.  We offer the best advice (though often without being asked, *heh heh*).

We. Are. Best. Friends.

Praise God!  I have been so blessed to have been placed in the Adams Family.  I love every single member with all my heart, and I wouldn't trade a single one for anything in the world.  They're my family, and by them I will stand.

My Heart Will Go On

His arms reaching out to be held, Josiah simply couldn't stop smiling and laughing as Zach scooped him up!  For a few precious moments, Zach held Josiah close in a sweet embrace.

This tender scene played out in my home when Zach finally made it home for the summer months.  He'd been away for roughly 9 months studying at LeTourneau University, and everybody was ready for an extended visit.

Watching Zachary leave for college was a hard thing for me to walk through.  To me, it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest with no hope of  restoration.  I was saying goodbye to life as I knew it, and it was the most painful experience I'd ever endured.  

Zach was my playmate, the one with which I had spent many long years building up memories.  We did everything together!  We chased ducklings around our backyard, "traveled" thousands of miles in the campers we built on our bunk beds, stayed up late listening to music, had movie marathons, ran cross country, discussed history and philosophy, took care of younger siblings, etc., etc., etc.  If one of us was in the middle of something, chances were very good the other was right there in the thick of it too!

I remember the week Mom, Dad, and I moved him into his dorm.  We went up for two days, and I thought it would give me some transition time so that saying goodbye wouldn't be nearly so difficult.  

I was wrong.  

I was fine the entire first day and  a half, but the last half of the second day was brutal.

As I watched Mom and Dad each gave Zach a hug goodbye in their turn, my emotions began to rise.  

Then it was my turn.  

I embraced him, and he, me.  As I clung to him on that hot August evening, I realized that it was to be the last I was to see of him until Thanksgiving.  All our lives, we had never spent more than a week apart from each other's company.  I could hold back the tears no longer!  Out they came, streaming down my face as I choked out a feeble "I love you" and turned away.  I walked as quickly to the car as possible without looking back.  

I couldn't bear to look back and watch him shrink away in the distance. It was like if I let myself watch him grow smaller and smaller behind me, I would see with my own eyes my life slip away!  I just couldn't do it.  Instead, I spent the entire 5 hour car ride home in silence, grateful for the dark of night that covered any outward signs of grief.  I felt like I had been shot through the heart.  Honestly, though it's absurd to think of now, I thought I had lost him for forever.

But you know what?  Throughout that first semester, we became closer than ever.  God strengthened our relationship in a way that never would have happened if he had stayed at home with me and my family.  It wasn't until this past year, in fact, that I realized how important sibling friendships truly are.

{Meet - Ethan}

This little guy is my 5-almost-6- year-old brother, and he's simply a joy to count as one of my siblings!

Last night, some of the little people decided they were going to camp out in the backyard.  We kept the windows open so we could listen for all those "just in case" instances.  Dad and I were in the study having a very weighty conversation when all of a sudden, through the open window drifted the giddy sound of this little guy's laughter!  Dad and I paused, listened, and laughed in response!  You just can't help but laugh when Ethan gets going!  :D

He's very protective of his little sister, and is constantly looking out for his little brother.  It's so neat to see!  The maturity that my brother has at this age is utterly astounding!  I am SO glad that God decided to place him in my family.  :)

-- And I just noticed that he, Clairy, and I all smile the same way, with one eye half shut!  :P

Siblings are the Best!

And that's the truth!

Pictured are some of my best friends

With these two people I have shared heartache, laughter, inside jokes, deep conversations, arguments, good times, embarrassing personal stories, and lots of great memories.  Yep.  My brother and my sister are pretty much amazing.  :)