my family...

I went to San Diego for the 4th of July weekend, and for the first time in a really long time, it felt like home. It felt like the place where my people are - where I am embraced fully regardless of what my life looks, where I am wholly accepted, where I belong. It was good for my soul to be with my clan. I was blessed beyond measure with an abundance of family that go far beyond blood. I was raised by a village - it started at Del Cerro Baptist Church and then truly formed at Gateway - it’s nothing fancy or special - but if I walk in on a Sunday morning I am almost always moved to tears. It isn’t the building, it’s the community. It’s Lori Rae and Jenna Leigh, Connie, Cheryl, Gayla, Paula, June, Melissa, Jenny, Anna, and many MANY more names behind them. It’s being able to cry over coffee and knowing my tears are really heard and wise women are praying over me and all that has happened throughout the years of my life and all that is yet to come. This herd has spurred me on in faith, inspired me to live a life of integrity and character, to choose courage and conviction in Christ. They’ve reveled in joy and stood strong in the face of adversity. They have taught me what it means to love well and they shine Jesus in a way that doesn’t require words. I hope to be like them, and to build others up in the way they have generously and wholeheartedly invested and poured into me. They have taught me more than they can ever know and left for me a rich inheritance beyond what I could have ever deserved. They really are my family, and the words "I am grateful" will never say enough.