Happy Saturday!

We have just spent the last two days with family from near and far. Members of my Mom’s family from the Metroplex, south Texas and Indiana all gathered in the North Texas area to celebrate family. We called it a cousin’s reunion. There were about 40 of us in attendance. And that is not even all of us. We celebrated the families who raised all of us and the families given us to raise. Each of us (first cousins) had our parents present and each of the cousins except one had our children present. We called that last group the “grand cousins.”

We laughed, talked, ate, prayed, sang, hugged, went swimming, ate some more and remembered. The last two days were wonderful and a time of amazing reunion and great joy. I think a lot of the pictures will be posted on Facebook. I hope if you are a Facebook participant and look at the pictures you will see the love and joy on each face. It is a time none of us will soon forget.

I think my favorite statement from the weekend came from my daughter Geni after the first time and spending hours in conversation and uncontrolled laughter, “Mom, I love our family.” Today Bruce and I found a simple wall hanging and brought it home that says, Families are Forever. I cannot improve on that!

Psalm 106: 13 “They soon forget His works; they waited not for His counsel.”

How often do we forget the blessings that have been given to us so unselfishly by our heavenly Father? I was asked twice this weekend to deliver a blessing. I was given a little bit (just a few minutes) of notice before I needed to lift the grace before the meals we shared. So I began to think about what to pray before this family that means so much to me. So I asked God what He wanted to hear. I gave thanks for the love of this family because of the loved given by God through Jesus.

I gave thanks on behalf of the cousins for the families that raised us and then the families we were given to raise. I gave thanks for the love in the blood that all connected us as a family and for the blood of Jesus that covers us in a blanket of forgiveness and perfect everlasting love. I thanked God that He sent Jesus to be raised in a family and for the honor and blessing He had given this family.

My prayer for each of us is to have the blessing of being a part of a loving family and the indescribable joy in being part of the family of God as a child of God and brother to Jesus. Let us never forget to give thanks for those who mean so much to each of us.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all and give thanks for each of you, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.