WE ARE FAMILY…
Did you just start singing the Sister Sledge song, “We are Family… I got all my sisters with me
. We are family, Get up everybody and sing!” I did!
God created us to live in “family” and I love my family. It’s not always been perfect but I’ve been nourished, encouraged and blessed by my family over the years.
Sharon and I recently returned from a wonderful couple of weeks in beautiful Alaska! We didn’t go there just to get colder or to see the beautiful mountains, whales and eagles… thought we saw plenty of them…. We went to see our family! Particularly the birth of our new grandson, Kellen.
Our daughter, Mandy, and her husband, Brian, live in Ketchikan with our granddaughter, Afton and now with Kellen as well. It’s a quaint island town with small shops and local restaurants and few amenities but the kids love it there. We flew into the small Ketchikan airport 
in the early evening and took the ferry over to our B & B where we were staying for a few days before Kellen was born and to “quarantine” before he arrived. While waiting for Kellen, we strolled the port area around the docks of this “cruise line” and fishing village and we found a new friend who visited us almost daily. The locals call him, “Phoenix.” He’s a huge humpback whale! It was exciting as he popped up only a few feet from the dock right in front of us on several occasions. We saw several bald eagles as well.
The big birth day came on Monday, November 23rd, three days before Thanksgiving! What a great Thanksgiving gift from our great God! (Mandy was born on Dec. 23rd so she was our Christmas gift/baby!!) – Kellen Arthur Morman… 7 lbs. 11 oz and 21” long (approx..) His big sister was all excited and we all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day feast on the following Thursday.
For Thanksgiving, I cooked the entire dinner as I have for 35 plus years, except for the Apple pie that Sharon made. Afton gave Sharon “1 million points” as a rating on her pie! After cooking a delicious turkey, dressing, broccoli casserole, potatoes (sweet and regular) and a pumpkin pie… Afton gave my pie a 2 point rating!! With whipped cream, 4 points. Wow! She has a very similar sense of humor as I do and she knows how to hurt a guy too!! Her new catch phrase is, “Burned you!” It didn’t, however, stop her from eating my pumpkin pie. Her favorite part of the meal was actually the canned cranberry sauce!
We had a wonderful time with the kids and grand kids in Alaska and just recently, Justin and his wife Greeshma visited us here in Northern California at my mother in laws beach house. We made some great homemade meals, including some pretty spicy stuff that Greesh made with a touch of her Indian heritage. It was all good!
What a joy it is to be with family. I’ve always enjoyed my family, even as a little boy in a small pastor’s home with my brother and three sisters and one bathroom for all seven of us, we had fun. My dad would play “Peter and the Wolf” on the piano and all five of us kids would dance and jump around like monkeys while both he and Mom laughed. Simple times with a happy, loving family.
I know that things aren’t like this for everyone. Many families are so dysfunctional and love wasn’t always or even often felt in their home. Trust me, I do know what a treasure that I’ve been given and I don’t take it for granted. For those who did not have such a loving family growing up or even now, I can’t even begin to know the pain you’ve felt and I hope that sharing my joy has not offended or depressed you. I pray that there’s still a chance for healing and reconciliation in your family, but even if that’s not the case, I pray that God will bring healing to your heart and bring those around you who can serve as close friends and family in your life. Our family is with the family of God as we love and serve Him together.
- The photo up top is of my great-grandparents in Kansas in the late 1800’s!
