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I was just feeling grateful last night for a great family. You probably already know that I love my immediate family… Jen is by far my best friend and our kids (3 so far, working on 4) are a huge blessing from God. I can’t believe I get to be “Dad” to them!!!

And you may have heard here a time or two what I think about my parents, and even my baby sister… 🙂 (She USED to be pretty annoying….) 🙂

But I guess I was marveling at the great extended family that God has put me in. So far on this tour, every stop has been orchestrated by a cousin. On both sides of the family.

First, we sang at a church in my original home town (Springfield, OH) where my cousin and aunt and uncle are actively serving. And, that night, my grandma, another cousin, and another aunt and uncle were there, as well as my parents. Quite a family gathering!

Then, we traveled to Arkansas and not only sang at my cousin’s church, but we got to spend several days as part of their family. That was so great as before that week, I did not know much more than her birthday and her family’s names (and that not very well!) They were a huge help to us, and just great!

Now we are in Phoenix, AZ area with yet another cousin! This one from the Campbell side. Again, I have not spent much time with her since childhood, so it has been great to spend a bit more time with her and her husband and get to know them a bit more. They own a skate rink down here (3, I think) and last night we got to play some live music as people skated. Well received by all… especially our cousins! They were lavishly generous to us and our boys… way past that! Food, prizes, tokens, tickets, and more! They (and WE) had a blast!!! Wow. Just great.

It’s not just the fun stuff we get to do with them… it’s that all of them have met and are following Jesus. Many of them have met and are loving their spouses, who are awesome members of our extended family. It’s just amazing to see what God has blessed us with.

I may have mentioned this here before, but it bears mentioning again.

Do you ever think of who came before you? Your ancestors… not just blood line, but spiritual as well?

I know that God blesses those who love him, even for generations to come. So, sometimes, I think that one or two of my ancestors (since it seems to be on both sides of the family) were in step with God, more than those around them.

We have healthy marriages, healthy bodies, no major disasters… God has definitely protected our family.

That’s not to say there have not been hardships. Those are unavoidable.

But, in general, God has blessed us more than what I have seen in other families. And that is amazing.

I hope that we can (and ask God to help us) continue that tradition, and pass on a life of following the One who made us.

And who knows, but our family might be even MORE amazing 100 more years from now?