Family reunion...

Family can be the biggest source of blessing but at the same time can be ... well, difficult.  On the car ride up to the resort, my mother coached me on what topics not to bring up and the things I shouldn't mention to certain people that weekend. Often times I put my foot in my mouth so she was hoping I wouldn't do that at the reunion.  She also mentioned that I shouldn't share about the needle2square project too much. I think she though that it may come off as bragging or that I would be over shadowing other people and trying to steal the spot light. At first I was like "I do what I want! Say what I want!" But then I thought about it and didn't want to cause any drama so decided I'll keep my head low and not say too much. Try not to be in the spot light at all... well as much as I could. LeeRoy kind of blows that whole plan.

The reunion was relatively uneventful just hanging out, talking, and eating food. There was a lot of people there that I didn't really know. I kept getting asked "who do you belong to?" We all had matching family shirts that my cousin had designed (I know what your thinking but they actually weren't that bad).  He did a great job on them!

The best part for me at the reunion was.... Ok, first the back story. I have a cousin named Tami. She is married to... ( I can picture his face but can't think  of his name). Anyway, Tami and her husband have 3 kids, one of which specifically I have thought of often over the years. Her name is Shelby. I honestly don't have very many memories of her from back in the day. In fact the only one I can really think of is when I first met her at my late uncle Bill's house. She must have been only 2 or maybe 3 years old.  She was born with spina bifida. If I remember correctly she was going to have a series of surgeries in hopes of helping her.  I got the feeling that it was a very real concern  and they didn't know if she would make it. I haven't seen here since. At least not that I remember . 

 

When we pulled up to the resort I saw Shelby walking across the driveway and my eyes welled up with tears. I was so stoked that she was doing well. I was really excited to see her and talk to her again. For most of the family reunion I just spent my time messing around with her, hanging out, talking, and trying to see what she was all about. I think she is about 16 now.... so of course I asked her about boys and school, what she wanted to be when she grows up. She's very sassy and we poked fun at each other most of the time. It was great! We became Facebook friends so we can now stay in touch.

Now I have to say, Tammy and her husband Sean (Shelby's parents) are an awesome couple. One of the things that really struck me about them is how great they are together. Sean must be doing something right because Tammy seems so happy and confident in herself. Not confident as in  " I'm woman hear me roar " kind of way but more like she knows that she is loved and has a team player on her side. She doesn't have to overcompensate. Its really just magnificent for me to watch. They genuinely seem very happy... like they're best friends. When I get married I'm going to pay Sean a visit for advice. I want to know what he does different than every other husband (way to go Sean).

 For the most part, it seemed to be a successful family reunion. I ended up heading to bed late on Saturday and had to be up early to head to Cheney where I was speaking Sunday morning. I spent most of the night reading and praying about what the Lord wanted me to share.