I'm so thankful our parents taught us this. 

I think I must’ve signed a life-long contract before I was born that I’d be committed to the relationships in my family like never otherwise seen in external friendships.

I'd fight tooth and nail for every one of you.

You've seen me at my best, experienced me at my worst, loved me all the way through, and vice versa.

Some of the best times of my life have been with you. We have been through a lot of crap, made each other mad as a cut snake and laugh like no other person on earth can, sometimes broke each others’ hearts with our honesty, had a damn lot of fun, told the truth about our faith journeys and told the truth when no one liked it, faced our insecurities and confronted our fears together, helped each other heal in places we didn’t know were broken, dealt with conflict in healthy and unhealthy ways, became adults in a world we don’t understand, learnt to have what it takes, respected and still now continually understanding the need to appreciate the differences in our make up… and raised to know we are loved by God!

He has fired these 7 very different arrows into so many different places. Places I never imagined we’d be, location-wise, faith-wise, health-wise, life-wise.

Mum has always said "I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in the truth." 

(3 John 1:4)

I grasp hold of that as well. It really struck me when I saw this photo, though it hasn’t got all of us, and I have been thinking about this for a week now: I am deeply grateful for how God is growing each of us and teaching us in unexpected ways. I know I am still learning what “unconditional love” and “hope” and “faith” means in this hard, very real and broken world. And through the struggles, joys and tears, I’m getting there slowly. Thanks for being the ones I can count on and for how you’ve shaped me into the person I am today.

Don’t ever give up gang. We’re in this for the long haul and we’ll make it with God’s strength of Spirit. 

And I happily echo what Dad has always said, "If you need me, call me and I'll come get you."

I am so grateful for you and I love you very much.