Friends or Family-- Does it Really Matter?

Just this weekend I said to Joel, I really wish we lived close enough to some of our family to see regularly. Troy and his family are moving across the nation in just a short while...it has me thinking.

While I don't choose to be far from my family, God has chosen this path for me. Some reasons I know beyond a doubt why we moved. Those are for a blog of another time and place. The last month has been REALLY HARD to be away but the truth in the matter is that, even when I pray for God to move us back home, my heart would break in a thousand pieces if we left South Carolina. Why you ask? I will tell you!

He has placed in my life two very special families. My KY family and my SC family. God has given me two of the best friends I can imagine here in SC. Sometimes I think...no I know they know me better in some areas then my KY family. Simply because we see and talk to each other on a daily basis. I am not knocking my KY family in the least. I love them and miss them dearly but God has blessed me with friends that are my family here. These two family rejoice with us, hurt with us, and I think really count us theirs. Just like family they tell me when I mess up too. Truth be known that is what I love most about them. They love me enough to to be truthful. We look out for each other, pray with each other, and are just there for each other.

During one of the visitations for Daddy D, Jennifer G., my precious sister-law, said through tears to my parents, that.."I was theirs" Do you know how good that felt. I love my Denney family but to hear it spoken still brings tears to my eyes. Sorry that was a side note.

The thing about these two friends is that God has given me a SC family to lessen the hurt of being far from my KY family. I am theirs and they are mine. They would drop anything and everything to be with me and the same goes for me.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that, God fills our lives with people that touch us and leave fingerprints all over us. I love my SC family and wonder at times what I would be like without them. I wouldn't be the person I am ...I can tell you that.

God was right when he said we are all His family. So does it really matter that people in our family are our friends and our friends are our family. In God's eyes (and mine), it doesn't really matter...as long as you love each other.... I mean really love each other.

Words of my Daddy D come to my mind...he once wrote an article titled "Tell Your Children you Love Them." I have taken that to heart. I often tell my friends that I love them. Simply because I want them to know. So tell your family/friends that you love them because you do.