Unbroken Circles of Family & Friendship

Not many in life are blessed with the special kind of friendship I enjoy with my friend, Charlene.  It was way back in grade school our paths first crossed and we've been through "thick and thin" together ever since.

How special it has been to be with her family this week-end to witness the third of her five children pass into the world of marriage.  Although the temperature was a bit on the cool side for an outdoor wedding, the sun was shining and I'm thinking God and a host of others were watching from another vantage point.

We took time earlier in the day to visit their farm and see the progress on the home they have been working on since a tornado came through their farmstead and left them homeless four years ago.  They have a very special saying on their wall just inside the front door, which blesses me each time I see it:

Our family is a circle of strength and love

-with every birth and  every union the circle grows-

every crisis faced together makes the circle stronger

Praying for each of them this evening as the circle once again grows, allowing yet another to join the ranks.  So thankful for the love modeled by Charlene and her husband of 35 years, John, and our friendship which only grows sweeter as time goes by!