Family......gotta love em!

So with this insanely cold weather, Rakoz Manor had some issues with a pipe freezing and ultimately bursting.  I won't bore you with the details (many), but suffice it to say that for the better part of 2 days, my house had no hot water (insert mental image of me boiling multiple pots of water for the children's bath).  With many trips to various hardware stores, missed football game viewings, and many phone calls to Grandpa Bruce for advice, Teague and I had no idea how bad this situation was or how it was going to get resolved.  But God is so good.  As always, he orchestrated a plan down to the tiniest detail that would give us the resources we needed to get the problem fixed and our home restored.

A major component came in the form of a knight-in-shining-armor: my Uncle Ben.  He had the supply ideas, the knowledge, and the appropriate body size to replace the water pipe and I was able to run the dishwasher, take a shower, and a myriad of other things I have daily taken for granted.  He helped my family so much and the dinner I prepared for him cannot begin to convey my appreciation for his time and efforts.

This situation got me thinking more deeply about the relationships between family vs. friends.  I will admit that I often feel more fond of my friends than family as it's been said that "Friends are the family that you choose."  Boy, isn't that the truth!  However, when times get tough, I turn to my family first and there isn't a hesitation for them to help me out.  Friends are fabulous and my intimacy with some of my friends fill me with such great joy and blessing that I feel incredibly fortunate.  Friends, however, have no obligation to stick around.  Friends can decide that you are no longer someone they want to care about and just remove themselves from your life, ultimately severing all ties.  Family can try to do that, but it's not entirely the case.  Family will always be tied to you, whether they want to be or not.  Certain relationships with family are complicated, but there is always the connection that lets you pick up where you need to, comfort when you need to and lend a hand when you need to.

Thank you, Uncle Ben, for offering your help and expertise.  Without your ideas, willingness to jump in the car with my dad, get dirty, and work in most frigid of conditions, I may still be out of hot water & much more smelly!  I've always admired the fact you help anyone who has need and all the knowledge you possess.  Thank you thank you thank you!

Thank you, Dad, for fielding my hundreds of questions, talking me through various repair options, letting me know Uncle Ben was visiting you and offering his services (without his knowledge), ignoring my instructions to just stay put and not make the drive over when I said we'd fix it ourselves, and driving over to be part of the conditions listed above with Uncle Ben.  You never fail to help anyone you know with anything and you have shown me the perfect example of taking care of one's family no matter the situation.

Thank you, Jesus, for my family.  They are quirky, long-winded, fast-driving, and loud......I'm just like them and I wouldn't change them for anything :)