Thank you God, for family

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Tinuviel

Guest
#1
So at least for me the family forum tends to be the place where I come when I'm at my wits end with a family member and just need a place for advice and venting. That's a perfect use of the family forum, but in all that I think I at least tend to forget how lovely and important family is.

So this is a thread to say one thing you're thankful for in your family, or to share a happy memory about family :). I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's responses :) (I'll share later :))
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
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Tennessee
#2
I have been very fortunate in that I come from a large loving family, most of who are still alive except for my dad who died in 2008. It was a lonely feeling when he died and felt like I was now all alone in this world. Eventually, I learned to cope with this feeling and also realized that the family that remained was sufficient for me. I also learned t never take those that you love for granted as one day they may be gone. Don't wait until then to tell them that you love them, do it today while there's still time.
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#3
So at least for me the family forum tends to be the place where I come when I'm at my wits end with a family member and just need a place for advice and venting. That's a perfect use of the family forum, but in all that I think I at least tend to forget how lovely and important family is.

So this is a thread to say one thing you're thankful for in your family, or to share a happy memory about family :). I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's responses :) (I'll share later :))
My older brother and I are very close and email each other a lot. Twice a year I drive up to Oregon to see his family and him, and one of those trips starts in a few days. Make sure everyone behaves themselves while I am gone.
 
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Depleted

Guest
#4
Dad was born in 1930, so he grew up during the Great Depression. Back then everyone understood what "make do" meant. The concept of keeping what you had, fixing it when it broke, and keep using it until it simply can't be used anymore. Because once it was gone, there was no replacement.

Add to that, Dad is OCD, so "thrifty" went from necessity to an obsessive compulsion turned outward. Another obsession was hunting and fishing. I find it amusing that most people in America ate beefs, pork, or chicken ever night of the week. We ate those things about once a week, and the other nights we ate wild ducks, pheasant, quail, rabbits, squirrels, frog legs, snapper (turtle) soup, crabs, perch, bass, sunnies, and pike. On Thanksgiving we might have a turkey, but it was more likely we'd have Canada goose. Christmas guaranteed Canada goose.

But going on a vacation for a family of five (and then six), meant renting a two-bedroom cabin in Canada for 2-3 weeks, and Mom was doing most of the cooking. (And almost meal was bass or pike.) Really bad, since Mom was allergic to fish to the point she was told to stay out of a house where fish was being cooked, but she survived, and then ate sandwiches.

That's my dad.

But in 1990, he had a health scare. He had precancerous growth on is prostate. His doctors talked him into getting it surgically removed. Back then, the results ended up about the same. Whether a man chose the surgery, radiation, or did nothing, the averages for living afterward were 13 years. (13.3 years for one, 13.5 years for another, and 13.9 years for the third.) Dad being OCD though, he had to go for the most drastic choice. That's who he is.

But that changed something in him. He took us all on a Western Caribbean cruise. All of us. And by that time he had a wife and two kids at home, plus four "kids," and two of use were married, so our spouses went. And my oldest brother had two kids so they went too. He paid for all of it. And, on a cruise, that includes every drink we had, every thing we ate, every destination we went to. (In Mexico, we went to the ruins. He paid for that. Others chose other things to see that day. In Caiman, we went to the Turtle Sanctuary and in a small submarine to see the sting rays, and he paid for that. Others went swimming with the sting rays. He paid for that. Every destination had a choice of what to do, and every choice cost more money.) He even paid for the $20 I lost in the casino on the ship. Everyone went to the casinos, and he paid for that too.

Best vacation ever, and I got to spend it with my entire family. (A chocolate on my made bed each day. Who wouldn't love that? lol) All paid for by the man who brought a family of five or six to a tiny two-bedroom cabin in the middle of no where and had a wife cook what she was allergic to eat. Pretty amazing!
 
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Markson4time

Guest
#5
I am always thankful to God for the kind of family I came from. My mum thought Christian life pertain, my elder brother an encourager, my younger brother a man full of special wisdom, my youngest sister an inspiration.
 

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
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#6
My family and I aren't real close, soooo...
 

JosephsDreams

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2015
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#7
I am blessed beyond words to have the honor to be raising my two wonderful daughters.
Thank also for my older adult daughter who is finally maturing into the woman I always knew she could be.
And praise the Lord for my mom coming to be a Christian at such a late age in life. I never thought at 70 someone could do an about face like that, but she did.
Thank you Jesus.
 
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Tinuviel

Guest
#9
I'm sifting through possible stories to tell and realizing that I am blessed with many! I am so, so thankful for my family and all the good times we've had together! I'm especially glad for all the times we sing together :)
 
Feb 28, 2016
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#10
unfortunately,

in this old, real world, some families choose 'land over blood', sad, but oh so true...

oh what a terrible place this can be, but for the Love and assurance of our Saviour, Jesus Christ...

we so appreciate the testimonies of those who are so very blessed with loving, kind, caring,
supportive, generous, family members = rare these days! GBY you all...
 

mar09

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2014
4,927
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#12
I'm sifting through possible stories to tell and realizing that I am blessed with many! I am so, so thankful for my family and all the good times we've had together! I'm especially glad for all the times we sing together :)
Did u say sing together?! Now I am remembering...
 

mar09

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2014
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#13
I am grateful for grandparents who lived with us for a while... My father was a humble war hero, mom a peace hero. I say the latter for lack of words but they're both really peace-loving people who encouraged peace at home no matter what. Thankful for my sibs, far and near, who remember once in a while and just do/send things to let u know. Thankful for my hubby, this faithful, generous, hardworking guy the Lord gave, and well, intelligent and strong-willed kids who sometimes makes mother wonder where they got all that energy, spunky ways, ideas... just know they are all from the Lord, and thank God for them.
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
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#14
My birth family is a dysfunction mess! But my own family and kids? Marvelous!

My husband and I are very close with all of our children, and grandchildren. A lot of driving and trips, because we live so far away from 2 of them. Those 2 phone or FaceTime me almost every day. They are very much a part of our lives. We spend holidays, birthdays, and vacations together. And a fourteen hour round trip drive to do that.

My younger son was living 7 blocks from us and chose to go to Hong Kong. It's been 10 months, and they don't know if they are coming back in the summer or not. We used to see them and the grandkids daily, now, we FaceTime once a week. It would be more often, but the upside down time zone thing makes it hard to coordinate calls, esp. with my son working.

Our oldest lives in the North West Territories. We don't talk as often as the others, but when we do, it is hard to hang up. Two hour conversations.

That is what makes family so special! You can't be separated by time or space or distance! If you love someone, they are in your heart forever.

I thank God for my husband, children and grandchildren every day! I also thank God for the Internet and FaceTime to keep us all connected!
 
Feb 28, 2016
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#15
you are very 'blessed' Angela! we so rejoice with you...

but we must remember, that many times when we love/adore others,
it cannot, nor ever will be returned...this is where Jesus will step-in and
make the world right for those of us who Love/Put Him first, for if we truly,
Love/Serve Him, then He will begin to make it bearable/survivable, so that we may
experience/learn His blessed Peace and Assurance, as we do our best to run our race
in this 'fallen-world'...

such a difficult and grievious lesson many of us must learn about our 'loved-ones'
and many times, 'supposed-friends'...
 
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joefizz

Guest
#16
I've been blessed in the last few years to get to know all my family finally,though not quite "all" because most are divided or set in their ways so I can't see them or even socialize with them,but nevertheless it's great to have such a huge overall family because there's always someone to talk to.
 
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Tinuviel

Guest
#17
I'm so thankful that my parents chose to raise us the way they did, even though most people around here considered it "old fashioned" and my parents got a lot of flack for it.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#18
I'm sifting through possible stories to tell and realizing that I am blessed with many! I am so, so thankful for my family and all the good times we've had together! I'm especially glad for all the times we sing together :)
LOL If my family sang together, two of them would absolutely hate that. They're the only ones who can carry a tune. Fortunately, the rest of us have no idea what that means, (literally tone deaf), so it doesn't bother us that we can't, but people who can carry tunes find those who can't to be annoying. lol
 
Feb 28, 2016
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#19
LOL If my family sang together, two of them would absolutely hate that. They're the only ones who can carry a tune. Fortunately, the rest of us have no idea what that means, (literally tone deaf), so it doesn't bother us that we can't, but people who can carry tunes find those who can't to be annoying. lol
================================================

we don't...:rolleyes::D
 

Rosemaryx

Senior Member
May 3, 2017
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#20
My mother died when i was 3 years of age. I grew up in children`s homes, was separated from my elder sisters , was in and out of foster homes, abused in more ways then one. My dad died when i was 18, i married just after he died, had 3 children then divorced, settled with a man for 10 years and had 3 children with him,separated from him but we remain very good friends to this day and still parent well together as mother and father and we have 4 young grand children that we truly love.I myself am a grand mother to 12 and my great grand daughter is due in a few months time. God has blessed me with so much, i have struggled growing up without my mother,went through many years of suffering in the hands of people who claimed they loved me, not knowing through those dark years that God had a good plan for my life.I live on my own now serving the LORD, i have been saved for just over a year and my Savior has reached down and truly taking me out of the dark pits that people through me in.I know now for sure that my heavenly Father Almighty God loves me so much, He has blessed me with beautiful grand children and a great grand daughter on the way, what the evil one stole from me, God has replaced me with more, He is teaching me mother and grand mother skills on how to be a women who is His child, I may not be where i want to be, but i thank God i am not where i used to be. I truly am born again and it feels so good. Praise God...:)