TV Show Review- Ties That Bind

"Ties that Bind" revolves around Allison McLean (Kelli Williams), a tough and experienced police detective, mother and wife in suburban Seattle. When she and her police partner (Dion Johnstone) must arrest her brother (Luke Perry) for aggravated assault, her world drastically changes as he's convicted and sent to prison, leaving his two teenagers teetering on the brink of foster care. Ultimately, she takes them into her home, ending up with four teenagers to raise as well as her demanding job solving local crimes. 









It is rare for a family with our very particular values to find a show that all eight of us can all watch. It's even better if the show is entertaining. The absolute icing on the cake with fireworks on top is when the show is exciting and manages to get our heart rates up and hold us at the edge of our seats.

Tonight, we had the distinct pleasure of viewing a new original series from Up , Ties That Bind.

I have to say, I am deeply impressed.

Ties That Bind met all of the qualifications that I have when it comes to an excellent TV series. Clear photography, believable and intriguing characters, a well written plot, definite looming peril, and a story with great potential. And guess what! In case you weren't already excited enough, this show is FAMILY FRIENDLY.

Not ABC Family (oh dear, did my children actually just see that) "family friendly". No, this episode was legit family friendly.

There was no cussing, no inappropriate scenes, and while there was danger and some blood, it was not unnecessarily gory. Honestly, they could turn the danger/gore factor up a few notches and it would still be unoffensive.

Yes indeed ladies and gents, it is possible to make a good TV show without selling your soul and throwing your morals out of a third-story window. I am very pleased with what Ties That Bind had to offer me tonight, and I hope and believe that if the pilot episode was any indication, I have more to look forward to.

Movie Review- Inside Out (And an Ode to Pixar)

After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

Do not fear, this is my non-spoiler review for the movie. I will hopefully have my N-Depth review up in a few days when more people have had a chance to see the movie for themselves.


Well, I must say, Inside Out is yet another example of Pixar's prowess in the movie-making world. And no, I am not just talking about animated movies, I compare Pixar's films to all movies, both live action and animated, and as a studio, Pixar is near the top.


The reason for this? Pixar understands people. They have been blessed with some of the most observant, kind-hearted, intelligent, and creative minds over there, and when those minds are put together, movie magic is made. (I LOVE you John Lasseter!)


Pixar is able to convey truth, messages about humanity, and the plain humor of everyday life in a way that is charming and digestible for audiences young and old. Who else do we know of that has made us not all go "EUUWW" at a world of bugs? Since when did the idea of monsters coming out of your closet make you feel warm fuzzies? How on earth did they get us to fall in love with rats and food at the same time?!? And seriously, have any of us (yes, even adults) treated their toys with the same lack of respect after seeing all three Toy Story movies? I certainly have not! I treat my former toys with great respect and care.


All of that to say, when it comes to tackling some of life's everyday trials, agonies, joys, humor, and wonders in movie form, the only studio I completely trust is Pixar. Why? Because they have proven themselves time after time.


Inside Out was in keeping with the wonderful creative magic of Pixar. To be honest, it wasn't my favorite Pixar movie, it probably wasn't even in my top half of favorite Pixar movies, but it was still awesome.


This movie which explores the emotions of an eleven year old girl who was just uprooted and moved halfway across the country. I know exactly how she feels, when I was elven years old my family packed up and move from southwest Missouri to Columbia, South Carolina for a temporary job relocation. And let me tell you, that is an emotional roller coaster.


I loved the way that the writers of Inside Out were able to conceptualize that inner struggle in a way that both children and adults could comprehend. Everyone can find something to relate to in this movie, the Emotions, the memories, and all of the activity going on inside Riley's brain.


Characters (The Emotions)

All of the Emotions were beautifully voiced. Somehow their actors were able to take very specific emotions such as Disgust, and keep them true to their character without making them overly annoying. For example, just because Fear is fear doesn't mean he is always quaking in the corner, it means that if something unexpected happens, Fear will be the first one in the corner.

Joy (Amy Poehler)- She is most definitely the boss up in Riley's brain. Joy was cute, without being overly googly-eyed or too good. She had an edge of sarcasm and sense of humor that kept her real.


Sadness (Phyllis Smith)- Sadness was really cute, and her role was really pivotal to this whole movie. I loved how while she was, well, sad, she really was rooting for Riley to have the best experience all of the time.


Fear (Bill Hader)- For any of you Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs fans, this is the same voice as Flynn Lockwood. Fear was hilarious, he had a healthy dose of fear, as he should, but it didn't drown his character. Well done sir.


Anger (Lewis Black)- Perfect, perfect, perfect. He looked like an angry boss in some old 1960s Disney film who is always swallowing aspirin or anti-acid tablets. His sarcasm was well done.


Disgust (Mindy Kaling)- My personal favorite emotion, not because I deeply identify with her, but because she was just kind of adorable. She had a nice edge of disgust without being, well, disgusting.


Like I said before, this is not in my top favorite Pixar movies. But my least favorite Pixar movie would highly out-rank many other movies in this world, so I still give it a high opinion. I would recommend this movie to all ages.


P.S. A quick shout-out to the short "Lava". Yet again, Pixar made me fall in love with an entirely random object that they brought to life. To understand, you will have to see the film.

Movie Review- Beyond the Mask

A British East India Trading Company assassin seeks to redeem his past by thwarting a plot against a young nation's hope for freedom

Thanks to the efforts of many incredible volunteers, this wonderful movie has made it to hundreds of theaters across the country, making it possible for me to have the privilege of attending a showing last night.


Truly friends, this is a breakthrough in Christian films. It is "revolutionary"! This is unlike any movie I have seen that has come forth from this sub-culture of movie making (I have more to say on the subject of the Christian film industry and what it produces, but that is for another day). I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I couldn't be prouder of the people who made it. I wish I could convince them to make a sequel (hint, hint).


Ok, enough gushing, about the movie itself.


What I Liked


The Setting- I adore films that are in historical settings, they excite me in a way that no other movie genre ever can. This is the history nerd in me coming out, but it is the truth. I was not at all disappointed with the setting of this movie. The writers did a brilliant job of weaving their fictional story into true life events in such a way that you entirely believed that this story could well have happened. I was particularly delighted with the way the writers used a real life invention made by Benjamin Franklin to be a key point in the plotline, it definitely added some "sparks" to this movie. Honestly it made me think, and shiver a little bit, wondering if perhaps this story wasn't actually fiction, but maybe elements of it did actually happen. Creepy.


I also have a particular affection for this particular period in history, not only was it the birth of America, but when I was little one of my favorite shows was Liberty's Kids, an animated series on PBS that told the story of Revolution. My older brother and I were obsessed with the Revolution when we were younger, and so this movie felt like coming home to me.


The Costumes- What can I say? I'm a girl and I adore clothes, one of the reasons I love historical films is because of the clothes. I love Colonial fashion, and I was so proud of the costume department for this film. The ruffled blouses and coats that the men wore, the beautiful gowns for the ladies. And my chief delight, the tri-cornered hats! I adore tri-cornered hats, my absolute favorite costume that the leading lady, Charlotte Holloway, wore was one with a tri-cornered hat.


The Sets/Props- *Applause*, folks, the wonderful people who made this movie literally built a good chunk of these sets. They had a completely authentic feel, and were simply beautiful. Props are a huge part of making a movie feel legit, and this is even more vital when your movie is set in a specific historical time. Not only did the props department of Beyond the Mask nail the historical props, but they had to come up with some pretty specific, and shall we say, "special" props that were unique to this movie. I can't imagine how long it took them to make all of the props, but they did it, beautifully.


The Music- I am just waiting until the music comes out on Spotify. The soundtrack was a stunning mix of soft/heartfelt, adventure, and that spirited sound that is distinct to Colonial times. I loved it.


The Special Effects- You read that correctly, I said SPECIAL EFFECTS, and good ones too. Special effects are what made this movie possible. I was so proud, the shots were clear, beautifully colored, and not grainy with a weird lighting effect. I said breakthrough film didn't I?


Cinematography- It was beautiful, very natural, and yet, colorful. The fight scenes while moving quickly, weren't blurred. Well, my view was actually blurred, but the movie screen was terrible and the theater was having technical difficulties, but I could tell it wasn't the fault of the movie itself. I can't wait to get it on DVD and watch the movie again on a decent screen.


The Characters- Now to my favorite part of my movie reviews!


William Reynolds (Andrew Cheney)- I believe my 12 year old sister summed up her/my feelings very well as we walked out of the theater. "That guy, was CUTE!" Ha, yes, he was a perfect fit for the part. Cheney did a delightful job in bringing to life the character of Reynolds, an ex-assassin who wants to change. I loved watching him struggle with his identity and his desperate attempts at redemption in order to be worthy of Charlotte. You could read what he was thinking and feeling very easily. And I loved the fact that he was an ex-assassin, meaning that while he was trying to be good guy, he still had some pretty awesome skills that came in handy. I love a good fight scene.


Charlotte Holloway (Kara Killmer)- She was a pure delight, soft, gentle, beautiful,  and intelligent, a worthy balance to William Reynolds. She was the reason that he was desperately searching for redemption, and their romance was so sweet and earnest, the chemistry between them was obvious. She took on the mantle of a well-to-do lady in England/Colonial America like she was born to it. My favorite moments in the movie were the ones between her and Reynolds. They are the reason I want a sequel to this movie, there is so much more of their story yet to be told.


Charles Kemp (John Rhys-Davies)- A perfectly delicious villain! He plays the deceptive and scheming evil uncle perfectly. Much of this movie was about masks of deception, and he wore his fittingly. A perfect villain in my opinion. And his demise? Well, that was a treat, a very dramatic ending for a perfectly dramatic villain.


My Favorite Moments


The dock scene. All I can say is if you have seen it, then you know what I am talking about. I so called that one.


Any fight scene. William Reynolds has got skills ya'll, and I love watching anyone with skills use them.


The prison ship scene. If I could capture the exact moment when Charlotte does something nutty and William's reaction to it I would. His face was priceless!


This movie is so worth it, folks, I know there is so much to be said for Christian films, some good, and some bad. But without a doubt, progress is being made, Hollywood is hearing the rumblings of our media revolution, they can't ignore us anymore.

Please check out the website for Beyond the Mask and learn more about this magnificent movie and the people behind it.

Movie Review-The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Kadam family leaves India for France where they open a restaurant directly across the road from Madame Mallory's Michelin-starred eatery.

This was the movie my family watched in the evening on Christmas Day. I had seen the trailer for it before and I just had a gut instinct, this one was going to be an unforgettable watch.


I was right ladies and gentlemen, this has to be one of the most beautiful, rich, amazing movies I have ever seen! I cannot recommend it enough!


The plot- while everything seems to point to the idea that this movie is about food, it really isn't, although the food is a nice bonus. This movie is really about relationship, and it is beautiful.


The writing- This has some of the best writing I have ever seen in a movie. The writers were able to weave truth, normal conversational, deeply felt emotions, and humor all together in an unbreakable flow that was magnificent.


The music- What can I say? I am listening to the soundtrack as we speak. It's pretty wow.


The setting- First in India, then in a small and stunning village in the countryside of France. I have to be honest, I am not really a fan of either the Indian or the French cultures, I often feel like the former is oppressive and rigid, and the latter is snobbish. While this movie does an excellent job of showing how strongly these characters are rooted in their culture, it also shows them living their lives in a manner that is relatable to all humanity, no matter what the culture.


The romance- This movie did such a lovely job with the romance, both the older, and the younger. It was gentle, sweet, and not at all forced or made to look "sexy" or "passionate". It was real people opening up their hearts, some learning to love for the first time, and some learning to love again. They took their time, and ended up making a much more real, beautiful romance than most movies I have ever seen.


The characters- They were beautifully written, and beautifully portrayed.


Madam Mallory (Helen Mirren)- The proud and very French owner of a famous eating establishment in a French village. Her whole world is tied up in this restaurant and its success. Honestly, she is a difficult character to like at first, but over time you find yourself completely in love with her as she lets down her walls, opens her heart, and begins to live once more. And despite the ups and downs, Madam Mallory is a lovely woman who carries a graceful and elegant presence with her wherever she goes.


Papa (Om Puri)- This man, oh this man! He speaks his mind, does what he likes, and doesn't put up with nonsense, all while being absolutely hilarious, a little bit mischievous, and above all, a Papa with a big heart.


Hassan (Manish Dayal)- The second oldest son of the Kadam family, you were rooting for him from the very start. He carries this sweet feeling of innocence and value for beautiful things like food and memories. He knows how to savor. He does have some struggles, but comes out a much fuller person in the end, having slain his dragons and come to realize what is important to him. I loved watching him cook, it was like watching a musician play beautiful music.


Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon)- A lovely young lady who works for Madam Mallory in her restaurant. She was the sweetest little thing, lovely, feminine, honest, and just a pleasure to watch. She was so very French, but not in the "sexy and alluring" way that they often play French girls up to be, she was a breath of fresh air.


This movie grabbed my soul from the moment it started and held my attention all the way until the end credits. I can tell when I deeply enjoy a movie, because my face moves more often, I often find myself smiling through large sections of it.
This movie leaves you feeling full, and no, not in your stomach, you are actually insanely hungry when it is all over, but in your heart. Like you have traveled to a distant land where the light is golden and the truth is obvious, and came away just a little bit wiser. I can't recommend this movie enough and I know my family will be purchasing it.

Being a Family Is...Part 4

Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 here.


Being a Family is...Sacrificing.


Our culture is constantly telling us what we deserve, what we have a right to have, and why we shouldn't have to share that with anyone or anybody. Wrong! Life is not, nor has it ever been about just you.


This is especially true in a family. A well functioning family cannot exist without everyone doing their part and being willing to give of themselves. This may mean giving up your bedroom to move in with your sisters (true story), or trading out some Netflix time by yourself to read Gigi books to your little sister and ending up lightheaded because you don't do anything halfway.


Sacrificing means that your dad gets up every morning and goes to work, sometimes to a job he doesn't like. It means that your mom is often the last person to bed because she was doing just one more load of laundry. It means that your older brother brings his laptop into the living room while you all have a movie on that he may not be a fan of, but he knows that you like his company.


It means playing two hours of Battlefield with your little brother even though the height of the computer desk makes your right arm go numb. It means staying up WAY later than you intended so that you can help your brother come up with ideas for his latest LEGO contest.


Sacrificing means that when you ask your little sister to get you a drink of water she does so with a smile and a dimple (SO CUTE). It means that your older brother not only takes you out to a movie and pays for your ticket, but also buys you ice cream afterwards.


Sacrificing means that your sister loans you one of her cutest skirts or a new pair of earrings she got, because you have been eyeing them for weeks. (Currently enjoying the benefits of that skirt as I write.)


Sacrificing means that you choose to love your parents even when they make mistakes that leave you feeling broken and like your dreams are dead on the floor. Sacrificing means dying to your flesh and choosing not to give into the deep feelings of anger that you have towards someone you love.


Sacrificing means that your family continues to love and encourage you even when you feel empty and like you've got nothing left inside to give, when you feel like your light has died and you are just an unlit candle.


Sacrificing means being real, and opening yourself up, forgetting your pride, and allowing other people to see the broken, sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful thing that is your soul.


Jesus sacrificed his own, pure, snow-white self for a whole bunch of ugly, bleeding, hateful people. Can I do any less for the people who I love, and who love me the most?

Being a Family Is...Part 3

Part 3 of my series on what I believe it means to be a family. You can read Part 1, and Part 2 here.


Being a Family Is...Crying.
From tears of joy, to tears of deep sadness. One of the most precious and treasured things about a family is being able to share life's deepest joys, and life's most tragic sorrows together. I believe this is one of the key reasons that God created the structure of the family, because He wanted families to be able to support each other.


Crying together is something my  family has done many, many, many times before. Everyone from my Dad down to my littlest sister. It could be something more trivial like that end scene in Toy Story 3 (get's me every time), or it could be all of us asking God why our life is so hard.


When I say crying, I do not mean it is always literal tears, obviously, some of us are better criers than others. But everyone has cried at some time, and often we are all crying on the inside, we just show it in different ways.Throughout the years I can remember a multitude of experiences in which one, a few, or all of us were down and needed the comfort, support, and love of the others to get us through that moment. We haven't done it perfectly by any stretch of the imagination, but we have done it.


This is an incredibly beautiful part of families, one of my favorite parts actually, and most definitely something that I do not take for granted. I am so grateful that God put me in a family where we can feel things together.

we can feel things together...

I treasure the moments when we shared tears of sorrow, and I always love the moments where we share joy. I look forward to many more in the future, and I hope that they are shared with my favorite people in the whole world.


Being a Family Is...Learning.
Some families are better at this than others, but regardless, if you are in a family, especially one who cares about important things, then you will be learning, constantly.


I am homeschooled, so my home is also my school. But learning is more than 2+2 is 4, and i before e, except after c (yeah, it still doesn't make sense to me either). Learning is about growing, it's about becoming a bigger, better person, and it's about learning how to relate with and connect to people.


One the ways my family is great about learning is that we talk, a LOT! I believe I have mentioned this fact before, but really, we talk a lot. For as long as I can remember I have been having questions and asking them. And my parents have done a really great job of talking them out with me. Through years of doing this I have learned how to ask a question, wrestle with it in my mind and heart, pray about it, and find an answer.


This covers a multitude of subjects. I love to talk about theology and politics with my dad. We have great conversations that make me literally feel like I am on cloud nine. My brain feels like it is on fire, and I get so excited. Call me a nerd, but it's true.
I also love learning practical things from my dad. For years I have watched him build things, fix houses, drive cars, etc. I have learned so much from my dad. Even just watching how he goes about learning something new has taught me much. Before the days of the Internet being everything, if my dad wanted to learn how to do something, he bought a book. Now, he will research something online until he feels confident he can do it.


From my mom I have learned a lot about the Bible, and about people. She and I have spent hours upon hours talking over things in the past, present, and future. She is the first person I run to in order to hash out something in my own mind. When I ingest something really hardy, I usually seek her out to use as a sounding board while I reiterate what I just learned. She is my confidant in so many things. And I have learned SO much from her.


I have learned much from my siblings as well. Often they teach me things unconsciously, just by being themselves I learn a truth about life. Amazing how that works. And because I am older than all but one of them, I have had the supreme joy and privilege of being able to share my fraction of life experience with them in the hopes that they might grow and learn as well.


This past June I was blessed with the opportunity to attend Worldview Academy. It was a phenomenal experience that I will never forget. I had my concerns before I went that maybe it would be too much for me, that I hadn't read enough of the recommended books or maybe some of the concepts would go right over my head. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was over-prepared for Worldview. Half of the content I knew already from having been exposed to it at home, and the other half I was able to take in and digest because of the exceptional training I have already had at home. I came home and told Mom and Dad just how great of a job they have done.


We as a family analyze everything, delve into everything, and talk about everything. I have learned so much, and I have grown to love learning greatly.

Being a Family is... Part 2

Part 2 of my series about what being in a family means to me. You can read the first part here.


Being a Family Is...Creating.
My family is homeschooled; homeschoolers are naturally pretty creative because our lifestyle encourages a creative attitude. But even more that, my family is, how shall we say it, beyond creative.
When I was three I got a  beautiful wooden dollhouse, but I didn't have any furniture to put inside of it. Mama sat me down at the kitchen table one day and we made furniture out of plastic lids, popsicle sticks, and tiny mugs out of beads and macaroni. Later on when I was thirteen I made an entire dollhouse out of cardboard boxes, and five rooms full of furniture and accessories right down to the a roll of toilet paper in the bathroom. When we kids were little mom let us build elaborate tents in the living room, and when dad got involved they usually involved the entire room and some string. Those tents would last for days. We've made Christmas ornaments, snowmen out of coffee creamer bottles, and little Christmas cabins out of wooden sticks. We've built playhouses in the backyard. I've sewn costumes, my siblings build insane Lego creations. Our Lincoln Log forts are works of art. My mom can go into the kitchen and create mouthwatering meals just by feeling it out, no recipes involved. My dad and older brother can build amazing websites and things online. The fact of the matter is, we love to create, and I believe families were designed to create, the very structure of a family is built to nurture creativity.

Yeah, it kinda goes without saying that Phineas and Ferb are some of our heroes. I mean, who wouldn't love these guys? They are some of the coolest characters out there, and their show is hilarious! Have I memorized their hit song, "Bow Chicka Bow Wow"? What do you think?


Being a Family is...Laughing.
Laughter. Pure, beautiful, bubbly laughter is straight from heaven. I have gotten more than my share living in my family. Strong families laugh together all the time, even when things are hard, or some of the members are angry, families need to laugh together. I've gone through my share of hard times, I still am, but throughout all of my life, some of my favorite memories have involved those when I was laughing with my family. Everyone in our family has a slightly different sense of humor, sarcasm for some, slapstick for others, clever comments, or puppies sliding on a kitchen floor (guilty). We all are very witty, from the eight year old on up, I think I mentioned in my previous post that this was a direct result of talking too much. ;)


My mom and dad used to tell us stories before bed a lot. We had two different series of stories. Mom's was Richard, Susan, and Busbee (pronounced Biz-bee). They were three dogs who lived with a very rich woman called, "The Master". Susan was sensible and feminine, Richard had been taken in off of the streets and was more rough around the edges. Busbee was a baby (Mom used the cutest baby voice that still tickles me when I think about it), he got his name because he was always a busy bee. They often went on adventures, and Busbee or Richard would get them into trouble that was always hilarious. There was this one story in particular that involved eating spoiled food out of a restaurant dumpster and a cat passing out that still leaves me in stiches every time I think about it.


My dad's series was called "Muller and Carmichael". They were two ugly, decorative turtles we owned that a few of the younger ones had gotten from the dollar store for mom on her birthday one year. She named them after her favorite missionaries, George Muller, and Amy Carmichael. Dad turned these plain, ugly little turtles into objects of endearment with his stories. Mueller was the adventurous one, he would propose an idea that the sensible and reluctant Carmichael would object to. But inevitably they would end up in trouble. Driving the tractor, accidentally attaching themselves to fireworks and ending up at Grandpa's house, sneaking into the freezer to eat turtle sundae, accidentally emailing the kids' Christmas lists to all of Dad's coworkers. The things those turtles did while we all slept.

I love laughing with my family, especially when I have had a hard day or week. I think if more people enjoyed their families enough to laugh with them, the world would be a better place.

Being a Family Is... Part 1

I live in a big family, six kids, two parents. Granted, we're not the Duggers, but to an average American household, we are pretty large. Seriously, you should see the stares we have gotten when strangers see our fifteen passenger van pull up. They halt and watch the train of kids getting out of the back, unable to leave until the last kid is out, then they kind of shake their heads and move on. Knowing that I have an audience when I am getting out of my family vehicle has forced me to learn how to exit in a very ladylike fashion, so, yeah, not all bad.


I have lived in my family for eighteen years now, and I think after years of agonizing, asking questions, praying, and probing the depths with my inquisitive mind, I have finally grasped the tip of the iceberg on what a family is. So here it goes, this is one girl's idea of what a family is...




Being a Family Is Talking...a LOT!
Ever seen the Brady Bunch? You know those super chaotic scenes where all of the children are talking at once, and the parents are desperately trying to make sense of it? Yeah, that totally happens all of the time. From the moment you have more than one child and all of them can talk you begin conversation wars where everyone is attempting to talk at the same time. The conversations can range from, knock knock jokes, the best way to take out a burgler (thanks to little brothers), why glitter and playdough are both acceptable, no, necessary substances (go team glitter!), music, politics, Hallmark Channel dramas, what so and so said on Twitter, when can we put up the Christmas décor (yes, I know it's September, who cares), the technical pattern of Yoda's speech, why Captain America is better than Thor, the latest from HonestToddler, and so forth. In the end someone usually looks like this.



Exhausting as these conversations are, they have groomed me and my siblings a lot. We are very funny people (other's words, not just mine ;), we can talk to any age group, and are actually pretty decent at improv games.


Being in a Family Is Being LOUD!
This seemed like an appropriate subject to move into considering the previous one. I'm just gonna shoot straight from the hip and say it, my family is loud. Some members more than others, obviously, but we are loud. We laugh loudly, many of us listen to music (yeah, that Austin and Ally soundtrack was me, no shame) my younger brothers get deeply involved in their Battlefield games to the point where I believe I may have gotten singed eyebrows from a nearby explosions.



Yeah, we may need to tone it down sometimes, ok, a lot of the time, but I have come to accept that being in a family, at least, my family, often means being loud. And when I am alone, I find it far too quiet. As loud as it gets around here, at least that noise means that I am surrounded by people I love.


Being in a Family Is Forgiving, ALL THE TIME!
It starts with siblings destroying block towers. It get's deeper over time. He hurt my feelings, she is ignoring me, he doesn't understand me. Parents have to forgive their children for saying hurtful things to them. Children have to forgive their parents for making mistakes, and vice versa. The idea of a family is that you have a group of imperfect beings who are bound in this close circle where they have to constantly interact, be given the choice of doing right and wrong, and treat others as Christ would want them too. News flash, imperfect beings, that ain't happening all of the time. And so you find yourself in the position of having to forgive someone, yet again.



Seven times seventy times people, and most of the forgiving you have to do in your life will be in your family.