My family, my friends!

So this past month I have been putting off reading my book for the book club that I am in. It was a book I had never heard of by an author that I had never heard of but is apparently a very famous author. He has written lots of books that have been turned into movies, which I thought I have never heard of but turns out I have seen one of them (I am my father's daughter and forget that I have seen something until half way through the movie the 2nd time.) Anyways, I did finally sit down and read the book (good thing since book club was last night!) and loved it. It really connected with me and I enjoyed reading it. It (thank heavens because I think I couldn't stomach it otherwise) is nothing like any of the authors other books because it's an autobiography written with his brother. The book is titled "Three weeks with my Brother" and is by Nicholas Sparks. (He is the guy who wrote "A Walk to Remember" which Melanie owns the movie of and I didn't remember I ever saw it but apparently did!) So this book takes you on a three week trip that Nicholas takes with his brother Micah and has flashbacks throughout his story of the two of them growing up. He has dealt with a lot of tragedy in his young life both of his parents died, and his sister died of cancer, she was the inspiration behind "A Walk to Remember." The book didn't really have this huge clarifying moment where he turned his life around, or it wasn't particularly inspiring with him overcoming these huge things in his life, it is just a story about a family and how they loved each other and helped inspire each other in every day life and in dealing with their struggles. As I was thinking why this book resonated with me so strongly right now I came to these conclusions....

I have had the opportunity, with my parents being in another state, to develop even stronger ties to my sisters as we have had to lean on each other during our day to day struggles with no mommy right near by (although what a blessing phones and free long distance are!) Nicholas Sparks relationship with his brother reminded me of those same feelings of love and companionship I feel for my sisters and brothers. How lucky am I to be part of such a great family!

And then as I was thinking about that, I thought about where I learned how to develop and keep such great family relationships and realized it was from watching my mom and her siblings. I have been so impressed (being older and looking back on what I observed as a young child) with how much the Darlene and Arvin Cook children love and care for each other! And I still hear it and see it now in the posts exchanged on this blog, in the happiness in my mother's voice when she talks of her siblings, in the heartfelt prayers offered around the Binns dinner table for Jim, in the happy inclusions of Christmas day fun from my wonderful Aunts and Uncles. I am so blessed to be apart of such a fabulous family who stick together in all times the good and the bad. Who love each other, pray for each other, and have fun hanging out and playing games with each other!
You all are great, each of you are an inspiration, it doesn't matter if you are battling cancer or missionaries, caring for newborns or teenagers, living far from me or near to me I love each of you and thank you for being my family!!

Wow...okay putting away the mushiness now!

Go UTES!!

Stacie