When my family moved back to Texas I knew I'd miss them, but I never thought the depth of missing them would be like this. I love my family. Always have. But in the last two years we've all grown closer than ever before. It's not always been fun or easy...there have been arguments, hurt feelings, anger, frustration. But there has also been lots of unconditional love, forgiveness, restoration, healing.

Quite honestly I never thought it could be this way. I spent a lot of my growing up years trying to distance myself from my family. God has recently been showing me the walls I've put up between me and my family, why they need to come down, and ways in which to do that. The openness and honesty I now share with my family, both of my parents, my brother, and sister-in-law, is amazing. My mom and I have had a pretty solid relationship since college, but it's gotten even better. I've made an effort to open up and share things with her and my dad that in the past I'd have kept to myself and it's amazing.

God loves community. And He put me in the midst of an awesome one. Unfortunately, I've neglected them for wanting what and who I thought was the perfect community. The older I get the more I realize that other than God there is no one in this universe more important than my family. I cannot even begin to express the gratitude and love I have for them, for their forgiveness.

I was talking to a friend and I was telling her how even though it was ridiculously short I was so grateful to see my parents last month. I'm so thankful that God put them in my life as a physical expression of His love for me. I can't even fully wrap my mind around how much my parents love me and their love is only a small drop in the bucket of how much God loves me and wants me. It hurts my heart to think I'm loved that much, to know Someone would literally die for me. Wow. May my life be an expression of gratitude and thankfulness for this amazing, undeserved gift.