God has seriously blessed me with a great family. From my parents and siblings, cousins to aunts and uncles. I take it for granted a lot, because it's what I grew up with. But this week of staying with my uncle has been a week of taking a step back and thanking God for the life he has given me. I come from a family of eight, and my mother is from an even bigger family. Growing up, I always had cousins to play with. We had many family events. I went to the same school as some of them. They were some of my childhood best friends. Even to this day, we are still a pretty close knit family. My grandparents are some of the most loving people you could ever meet. They truly demonstrate how to walk in love as followers of our Savior. But, I'm oblivious at times to these things. We had many hours of just driving places this week. And during that time, it was cool to walk down memory lane with my uncle. He moved out to Washington many years ago. He lives the furthest out of all aunts and uncle. I never really grew up with him, but I loved hearing the stories of him. When he would visit, he would tell crazy stories or get us to do crazy things. We were always doing good push ups for him (if he asked me to do one today, I wouldn't be able to). He even had his own nickname from us.
Last summer, he came to visit. We were all at grandma's house. My friend and I were texting and somewhere in that day came the idea to roadtrip out to see my uncle. He loved the idea but he didn't know it is was actually going to happen. I determined to make it happen. A year later, my friend and I are setting out across the country.
7 days later, I'm reunited with him. It was such a whirlwind of emotions and crazy adventures getting here. Nonetheless, we made it safely. We arrived a day and half earlier than planned. But I was more than okay with that. I don't think you can ever spend too much time with your family, especially a family centered around Christ.
I didn't want to set too many plans up being here in Washington because I don't know the state. But my uncle knows all the wonderful places. We jumped right into adventuring. It was a heart happy week. We got to summit many mountains, slept on top of a mountain, saw many gorgeous sunsets, attempted many sunrises (though we didn't succeed, just being with family is more valuable than a sunrise), played in lots of snow, built a snowman, bodysled, ate at cool hole in the wall restaurants, visited with my cousin, became a tourist to see Seattle, reunited with a dear friend from CR, saw the Pacific, visited the most northwest point of the Lower 48, fell in love with many wildflowers, slept in beds, hotels, motels, tents and a tower, saw many deer, visited a 2 mile tunnel, marveled at many waterfalls, drove on many dirt roads with pot holes, watched finding dory, saw many awesome mountains, took 2 ferries, experienced the dog life, experienced a cool rainforest, built endurance, lived spontaneously, laughed, loved and lived in the moment.
My uncle has taught me alot of this trip. Life is too short to not love and enjoy. He has such an awesome perspective, living with a childlike sense of wonder and faith. The kind the Bible talked about, but we normally only see in children themselves. Yet, I see it in my uncle and he inspires me in that. He knows how to enjoy the life God has blessed him with. I'm seriously so grateful for the chance to do life with my uncle. He is the most spontaneous, adventure loving person I know. He has a such a big heart and is such a lover of life. I'm not ready to leave him yet, there is so much I could learn from him, but for the next leg of the journey, I'm taking with me the life lessons and advice he shared me with. As much as I would like to say, I want to be just like him, he would tell me to keep being myself. To keep seeing life as I already do. To keep loving people the way I do.
Last night, he shared some advice that I always forget to live. To not be caught up in what people say or think about me. If I know who I am in Christ, then what does it matter how others see me. We each are unique and we each have unique gifts.
We are called to be unified as the Body if Christ. Hands helping hands, feet helping feet. This generation seems to struggle with that. Feels more like a "each person for their own " , stay out of the way culture. I don't want to live that way. I want to live for Him and I hope others can see the love I have for life and others. But most importantly I hope they see Jesus in me.
Today we leave Washington, we will finish the 9 days coming home and I will have 2 weeks at home with the family before I return to CR for a couple of weeks. Please be praying for safety as we cross country home. Also be praying that Jesus remains the center of the trip , that we don't lose sight of that. Be praying for our families as they live day to day. Be praying for each other, as the Body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:25-26
So that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.