“I, who have no sisters or brothers, look with some
degree of innocent envy on those who may be said to be born to friends.” James Boswell
My husband is an only child. He never complains about the loneliness of growing up in a home and being the only kid.
He was blessed with close childhood friends and two awesome
cousins. These cousins are planning a
small family reunion in New Mexico this coming weekend and I am thankful for this
opportunity for him to connect. I am
thankful, too, that at least one of the cousins moved from Chicago to the west
and we get to see him now and then.
Likewise, I’m thankful for my brothers and sister! Clara
Ortega says this about siblings:
“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.”
We are hitting our first year’s benchmark of
being retired in a few days. The year has
flown and our memories bulge with fun times and rewarding improvements on the
house. Retirement has been very good for
our marriage. We’ve done a lot of things
together as well as independently and we’ve reached a deeper level of
friendship with each other. I am
thankful!
Last night we enjoyed our coffee on our back deck
amidst the sounds of the sheep and horses in the corral in the ranch across the
street. Oh, the sounds and smells of
country living! I am thankful for our
little patch of rural land, quiet and peaceful.
God signed off another day with yet another dramatic sunset.
It seems that’s a good way to end this post, too!
My mom was an only child, and she said it was lonely. But she also had great cousins, and they all lived in a small town. I think that filled some empty places for her.
ReplyDeleteIn the last year especially, through the care of my parents, and my dad's passing, through the constant care of my mom now, and trying to settle a myriad of things, I have spent more time with my siblings than ever. I am very grateful for them, and for the way that we are all handling these most stressful times. Our communication is great, and though we all have different *styles*, we are united on the things that matter.
Beautiful sunset, by the way! I love when God paints the sky.
GOD BLESS!
I loved hearing how retirement has been good for your marriage, Mary. That is so awesome! I can hardly wait for my hubby to retire. We are looking at probably another three years.
ReplyDeleteThe sunset was beautiful. Thank you for capturing and sharing! :)
Hugs to you, sweet friend.
I, too, was an 'only child' and felt quite sorry for myself on more than one occasion ... only to turn around and have an 'only' myself. Thankfully - unlike his introverted mother - my son has a wonderfully engaging personality.
ReplyDeleteRetirement is probably a luxury DH and I'll not be able to realize, but I'm thrilled to hear the two of you've even grown closer. It's the little things that matter, isn't it?
Hugs,
Myra
Thanks for sharing sweet friend.
ReplyDeleteI was posting a comment but had trouble getting through. ..sorry if there's more than one if it turns out to be :(
ReplyDeleteI said that the Lord is awesome that He gave us many relationships. That's wonderful that your husband has relatives that are like brothers to him. I know it will be a fun time when their reunion comes. And now that you both are retired, there's no need to hurry and truly enjoy the special occasion.
I love the quotes you shared and I agree that your pic ended your post with an exclamation point! Sooo beautiful. Have a great weekend and reunion! Take care sister and be strong in His mighty power.
Good luck to you both. Exciting to begin a new era of your lives.
ReplyDeleteyes, friends is good to have.
I am loving gaining friends through blogworld. Glad I found you:)