Over the last couple weeks, I have been bombarded with this question in my own heart. I spent last week, my vacation with 36 of my family members at another epic Wickert Family Reunion. It was great watching my kids get to hang out with cousins they never really get to see. I loved spending time with my Grandma. Doesn't get any better than that. The beach was great and it all was fun.
I came back on Friday and had some of my kids visit from Cleburne. They really aren't kids now. These boys were my boys. When they were in elementary school, I ate dinner with them every Wednesday and we shot videos for Kid's Church announcements. Our "Sunday Morning Update" videos were always fun. I was so proud to see how they are becoming great men of God. They are also becoming very tall. Actually, they already became tall. I had such a great time with those guys being here this weekend. I think they are just as much a part of my family as anyone. (You too Ms. Teresa, you are the best).
Sunday, just as our evening service was beginning, I received a Facebook message on my phone. One of my kids from Kid's Church was contacting me. He was one of those kids you wonder where he is years after you leave the church. I remember when I was sitting in my office and his grandma called to tell me they had to put him in a mental hospital as a 10 year old. I cried that day. He was contacting me to say thanks for believing in him and loving him. He is doing really well now and is about to start college this fall. He said, when he had bad or sad days he would think back to being in Kid's Church with us and remember it will always get better. That message filled my heart as if it was one of my own kids.
Last night, I got to go spend the evening with some dear friends of ours, the Steele's. We were celebrating Caleb's "gotcha day". They celebrate the day the adopted Caleb into their family from China. We had dinner at Ghengis Mongolian Grill and ate cake in the restaurant. It was a great time. I thought more about family. Moments like that are meant for family, but we were there.
See, I don't know if it is because my parents opened our home to so many different people when I was a kid. Shoot, any college kid that came through our church growing up ate at least one meal at our house. So many different other friends that spent the night because it was just easier to stay with us. I don't know if it is because we moved around and our actual blood relatives were in so many different places, but my family has always been bigger than just my cousins.
I have been blessed to have so many people that I love like family. I couldn't imagine going through life without these people. Come to think of it, they are my family. They have almost all been my church family at some point. I can't imagine going through life without these people that are my church family. I have so many kids that are growing up that I get to call mine, because they sat in my kid's church. I have so many families that I love because they treated us like family. How does anyone go through life without a church family? It has to be lonely. I know there are so many other support systems out there. Things like coworkers and workout buddies and even neighbors will be there in times of need. I will take the people I have served and served with at church any day. They are my family. They are the ones, I get to spend eternity with worshipping our God in Heaven one day. It will be an awesome time. My family is more than just those people I saw at that reunion last week. My family is people I have worshipped with through my life. My family is huge!
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