WE ARE FA-MI-LY -- on my way to the Villages

A year and a half ago, my dear sister Nancy & brother-in-law Vic left their lovely home at the Jersey Shore to begin the next stage of life as retired folks in Florida. I miss them!

So John & I are escaping winter weather here in Ohio for a week (thanks to Vic’s generosity with his Spirit Airline points) and going south to visit my two sisters (Nancy and Linda) and their spouses (Vic and John) and my brother Conrad and his wife Patty. They have left our beloved New Jersey (home of the famous Jersey shore and my favorite sunrises over the ocean) and have gone over to the “dark side” a.k.a. Florida!

So A Branch in the Vine will be taking a break for a while.

But before I do, I would like to share a post from 2012, after one of our special times together at Nancy's home in Belmar, New Jersey. So may I introduce you to these precious folks who have beckoned me back to New Jersey again and again . . . and now to Florida.

♥We are fa-mi-ly...my mother*, brothers, sisters, and me! ♥

OK, I did change the lyrics a bit...but that's who* we Renners are, since our daddy went home to God more than 25 years ago.

And I am blessed beyond measure to be a part of it all...the oldest of 7 and the "Boss of the Mob" according to my mom.

Most families are a mess today! We're a mess too (aren't we all?), but with one big difference. A rarity, in fact! We love and support one another...and we actually want to be together! What an undeserved gift...and I certainly know it!

Now don't get me wrong! Some of us are quite "crusty" -- a tad bit difficult to get along with! Then there are the "mushy-gushies" -- the affectionate mercy-showers. And everything between!

But above, round, over, and under it all is a lot of GRACE!

My mom* is our cosmic glue, so to speak. She says that when she's gone, we better get along and love each other...otherwise, she will come back to haunt us! Those of you who know our mom wouldn't doubt it.

In fact, I can hear Jesus say to her, "OK, Jeanette, your kids are bickering! Go get 'em!"

Another thing about us Renners is that there are many others who are part of us...either permanently or temporarily. So over the years, the Renner family has included distant relatives, in-laws, out-laws, boyfriends and girlfriends, various friends, "enemies," pets, neighbors, etc.-- Renner-wanna-be’s, if you will. And that's a good thing!

These days I attribute this largely to my sister Nancy. What a gift she is to all of us! Nancy's Belmar beach house has become the gathering place for all of us Renners and Friends. Why? Because of hers and Vic's generous hospitality and loving inclusiveness. Thank you, sweet sis!

I grieve for others who don't have this closeness in their family (come be part of ours!). I thank God for His unconditional gift to me...

But I realize that what we Renners have is just a feeble picture (as good as it is) of another family...a forever family -- God's family!

Oh on this earth, even God's children can be a bit crusty and hard to get along with! Or mushy-gushy mercy showers! But no matter what, we belong to each other! We are united to each other in our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, our Brother...and our "Cosmic Glue!"

Let's thank God, embrace each other, and include all those who areGod's family wanna-bes through His Son!

Because ♥ WE ARE FA-MI-LY! ♥ Truly!

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1John 3:1

*Our Mom, our Cosmic Glue, went home to heaven in 2015. We miss her terribly!

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We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing

Everyone can see we're together
As we walk on by
And we fly just like birds of a feather
I'm not telling no lie

All of the people around us to say
Can we be that close
Just let me state for the record
We're giving love in a family dose, yeah

We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing

And our goal's in sight
We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing

We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing

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A Branch in the Vine

A Branch In the Vine