Home-made

I'm thinking a lot about my baby brother today.  Jeannine, if you're reading this, God bless you for what you're going through right now.  He is out of the country training with the military and will be gone for a month.  I called him the day before he left and was choked up.  I haven't seen him in months and months and was saying goodbye to him over the phone.  It didn't seem right.  I wanted a hug, a face-to-face conversation.  I missed him more at that moment than I maybe ever have.
I'm finding it more and more difficult as we add to our family and as our children grow, to be away from family. It pulls at my heart in a way that I cannot explain.  I know that Pete and the boys are my family and my first priority.  However, the way I grew up aunts, uncles and cousins were close by to celebrate birthdays, spend weekends with, share meals and make it to events like summer soccer games or music recitals.  In the world I grew up in family was a large number of people that were closely related to you by blood, birth or legal adoption.  In the world I currently live in, family is something that you create, not something you are born into.  We have added to our family not only through the birth of our children but by way of a dog named Molly, and a friend who is honorary "Aunt" to our children and who lives up to the title by taking such good care of them.
These dear additions have not replaced the family geographically distant, but have been added to it.
In the world I grew up in church was an extension of the family as well.  As a child it was hard to get away with anything because you would get in trouble with anyone's parents, not just your own!  I would like that kind of support and stability for my children too.  It was a community that cared for one another and helped to not only meet physical needs but to share, teach and love.  I appreciate the stability of the world I grew up in.  Even though the "world" beyond my hometown was tumultuous, I was held steady by the strength of those around me.
I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking my childhood/formative years were idyllic or free of any trouble.  My 9th year of life was provided with a crash course in complicated grief and dealing with the death of a loved one.  The years brought sickness, car accidents, friends moving away and other things that proved difficult to live through and endure.  However, with family (+the extended family) surrounding me, even the difficult times seemed to be more manageable.
I know that God provides.  I've seen it in my life many times.  So as I sit here contemplating the family I have scattered about the United States (and the world) tonight, I am thankful for a God who knows what is weighing on my heart.  He is with that baby brother of mine when I cannot be (and always is).  He knows my needs before I speak them and understands how to respond better than I know how to ask.  He is the Builder of my family and the Maker of my home.