This crew…they truly are the main reason I get out of bed each day.
They inspire me, correct me, challenge me, encourage me and love me. They are fiercely protective of me and yet I can get on their last nerve. They laugh with me, and they laugh at me. They think I am cool in one moment and an old lady in the next. They have made me laugh, they have made me mad, and they have made me cry…for both happy and sad reasons…and I have them. They aren’t perfect and neither is their Mama, but I would do anything in the world to make sure they are healthy in every way…physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
They are my tribe. I would give my very last breath for these people. I LOVE watching God write their life stories (sometimes holding my breath and covering my eyes!) and I love watching them grow and learn and fail and succeed.
These are my children. My treasures. My only earthly possession that I get to take with me into eternity. I pray that my life will never discourage them from following Jesus!
My Briley – Strong. Independent. Knows her mind. Fair minded. Hard worker! Had to grow up way too fast and because of that, is extremely responsible and reliable. She has had her own mountains and valleys and she has come out stronger and more sure of herself because of it. She has lost almost 100 lbs and is the best EMT! She works hard and takes overtime and encourages others that work with herS Her mind amazes me with her ability to retain medical information. I love watching God use her to help others! My favorite times of the week are when we get to FaceTime and catch up. She is 100% a grown woman and our relationship has changed. We now just get to be dear friends and I get to support and encourage her and she does me.
My Caleb – Tender. Compassionate. Empathetic. Responsible. He is a man of l character and integrity. Hard worker. He has led from a back seat with his own character and relationship with Jesus and is strongly led by God’s Word. He works full time, does full time college classes online and still makes time his Mama and younger siblings who need him. He already has a strong reality of servant leadership in his life and I cherish his perspective and counsel.
My Isaiah – Strong leadership. A logical thinker. Loves consistency and hates hypocrisy. Thinks much of spiritual things and lives them out without much talking about it. He just is. He is constant. A strong force in this family. I admire his work ethic and his willingness to own up to the areas in his life he works to improve. He is very diligent and trustworthy. He is also a man of character and integrity and his word is his deed. I love asking him for advice about things because he sees in such big picture.
My Audrey – Tenderhearted. Merciful. Behind the scenes. A servant’s heart. The quietest of them all, but don’t let that fool you. She has a good head on her shoulders and thinks both practically and is so empathetic and can see other perspectives as well. She is a hard worker but her work is more intentional and takes on meaning for her vs just muscling through it. Her ability to see an entire situation and make a call is already wise beyond her years. She is a nurturer and loves to take care and comfort – whether that is a sibling, an animal, children and even her Mama. She loves Jesus and is tender to His Word. I respect and need her perspective as she thinks differently than me.
My Macey – Quick-witted. Spunky. Very fair. She has tremendous discernment and can see through a person or scenario and be exactly right. She is confident and sure of herself, and she is very willing to laugh at herself when she gets too energetic in being confident for someone else’s life! She is disciplined and a diligent worker. She has a great sense of humor and a great love and talent for music. She loves Jesus and wants to serve Him. I love hearing her thoughts and opinions about things because her perspective is almost always on point.
My Elisha – A helper. Very observant. Caring. Good Common sense. I rarely have to ask Elisha for anything I need help with. He has normally already observed, assessed and has a solution in place and then tells me. He is almost always spot on! As the youngest, he has a lot of “parents”, but that has matured him and he is learning how to filter voices in his life and what is of value and what is not. It is a wonderful life skill that is maturing him. He has a strong sense of right and wrong and such a tender heart to the Lord. When God speaks to him about something, he has decided to be quick to come talk with me about it and not hold it in. I am so proud of him for that. He hangs out with me a lot while older sibs are doing their older sib stuff together, so he and I have a lot of fun watching movies together and talking.
I talk a lot about my kids, but I have given my life to raise them, to educate them and to love them. They are huge in my life. I am so thankful for them and the investment they have made in making me a much better Mama to them. I am still learning and working on it, and we are all learning and growing together.
They truly are my favorite “co-laborers” in the faith.
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