I Love Having a Large Family

            Let me say at the outset. Not everybody has the privilege of having children by choice or not. We all have our own path to follow in this life. As long as we are doing our best to live a righteous life, that’s what counts in the end.

Life was hectic when my husband and I were raising our 8 children. I had a saying I heard once that kept me going. “What doesn’t get done—doesn’t get done.” I made the children a priority. Playing games with them was more important than mopping the floor daily.

            Some of them haven’t followed the path we would like. They don’t go to church, they have developed habits I don’t approve of, but they are good law-abiding people. They earn their own way and are doing a good job of raising children of their own.

            One of the blessings I have is that all of my children love each other. No matter what path they have chosen, they are siblings and help one another when needed. Holidays are a joy whether all of them gather together or not. I’ve heard it isn’t so with some of my friends. That’s sad. As adults my children help me in many ways.

            When I needed to set up a program to keep track of my writing expenses, my son, who works with figures in his job, set one up for me. He even created a small spread sheet so I can figure out what size my counted cross stitch projects will be if I use a different size of fabric than the pattern calls for.

            When I was on a mission in Thailand, I asked my daughter that’s into photography why my red flowers came out faded. She told me to stand so the sun wasn’t directly on them. That cut down the glare, and my reds were much better.

            One son works in the computer field, so I use him a lot. When he comes into town, he fixes issues and gets my computer in order. A son-in-law lives in the next town over, and he also fixes computer stuff.

            A daughter is in marketing, and helped me create a marketing plan for my writing. She’s going to help me get started on Twitter before I send out my novel Hidden Heritage in the next couple of weeks.

            I recently moved into the 21^st century and now have a smart phone. Our youngest daughter has been invaluable in getting that going.

            This post isn’t long enough to tell you about all of the things my children help me with today. Each one has helped in many ways. Those things are only a side benefit. More important are the memories of camping trips, hiking together, trips to Disneyland and other amusement parks. Quiet evenings at home sharing spiritual thoughts are dear memories. I miss Christmas caroling neighbors and friends with a plate of cookies, but I carry those memories in my heart. I’m thankful we went to sporting events together. We were there, and stayed to the end of the Miracle Bowl. (Look it up on U-Tube. It’s always mentioned when sports enthusiasts mention the top 5 comeback endings in college football.) We once sang “Silent Night” in Spanish for a church Christmas program. I could go on and on, but I won’t.

Most important is the love we share with one another.