readers: please meet all my siblings, from oldest to youngest, left to right [minus my older sister emily, who i left a space for next to me in this photo. i missed her a lot this past week.] me, ryan, anna, angela, steven, daniel, james, lilly
“To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.” ~Clara Ortega
“Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply...” ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
“To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.” ~Clara Ortega
the melzer family just wrapped up a family reunion. 10 days of a house full of noise, commotion, stuff, and people i love best in the world. [20 guests!] it seems so quiet around here—quiet enough for reflection.
and here's what i believe about families, about my family. we chose each other, in a pre-earth life. we were organized and placed in a unit where we could learn and grow best. we were put together because a loving heavenly father knew each of our strengths and weaknesses and knew that together we could do it. together, with each other's help we could become the people we were supposed to be.
to my brothers and sisters: remember summers in idaho picking wild huckleberries? remember trips to lake powell? remember collecting locust skins in jars? remember when we moved to san diego, the beach and having a sand volleyball court in our back yard? remember when we moved to snowflake on friday the 13th? remember when we found out mom was pregnant with lilly? when dad lost his job? when steven went to rehab? when he relapsed? remember when don and i were sealed in the temple? and ryan, and anna and angela? remember when you all drove to utah for a family reunion? i do. and i miss you all already.
since i've been small, i've started out my prayers by saying “i'm thankful for my mom and dad, and my brothers and sisters.” and it's never felt like a vain repetition. and there's a reason i always say it first.
i am so grateful for my family.
i feel like every good thing about me is because of them. every experience i've had with them has shaped me in almost immeasurable ways. when we are together, i feel closer to my true self than with anyone else. i am happy, joyful.
we have shared rooms, vacationed together, ate together, fought together, laughed together, grieved together, prayed together.
and i love them all.
I didn't realize you had that many siblings. I knew there was an age span between you and the youngest. Thanks for the picture and the thoughts about your family. At this point, in my life, I'm not sure how I feel about my family.
ReplyDeleteI must say, I think I married the cutest Melzer.
ReplyDeleteAre Steven and Angela holding hands? Cute.
ReplyDeleteOur family is awesome.
you make me cry more than any of our other siblings. :) so sweet.
ReplyDeletei remember all those things.
thanks again!
ps i wish i would have taken these pictures from you when i was there. argh!
ps- I'm pretty sure Kathryn just called all of you ugly.
ReplyDeletewait, ryan was sealed to anna and angela in the temple? jk.
ReplyDeletei love my siblings, too! It's nice to meet yours.
kathryn, that wasn't very nice... (kidding).
ReplyDeleteryan, yeah, it totally looks like steven and i are holding hands. aw, well, we love each other.
emily, WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH.
rachel, thank you for this sweet post. thank you for hosting us.
siblings, i love you all!
Your posts always move me and I am so glad you shared with the world how you feel about your family. I want my kids to feel like this about each other some day. Thanks for your example of love.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!! You guys are just awesome. I can't wait to see this photo after you photoshop Emily in. =) =)
ReplyDelete