Big Brothers

Daily Gratitude Year 9-Day 147: Today, I am grateful for big brothers.

This picture is from four years ago today.

Randy came with brothers. I had always been the oldest... and on my Mama's side, I was even the oldest of the cousins. When I married The Love of My Life... I inherited the spot of "the youngest". His brothers and sisters have always made me feel like family. His brother, Monte, seemed to know I would be staying from the first time we met. He treated me like a sister from the beginning. 

This has been a long and emotional week. We take the sorrow with the joys. Our big brother joined Jesus... and his daughter, Jenny, in heaven in the wee hours just 24 hours ago. We rejoice in his heavenly healing, but grief is deep and real. 

 It is still hard to believe the planet is without a Monte Carl. I am grateful for every single minute shared that always left us longing for more. Time together always flew too swiftly, in the good times and in the shared sorrows. It is hard to put into a few words what he has meant to us. So, I went to the scriptures:

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon...that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting." -Psalm 133:1,3

A perfect verse to reflect on the best of times at the hardest of times. As I opened my BIblegateway App I whispered a prayer. "Give me what you've got.", I prayed. I wanted to know if the Lord had a special word for us today. For those that follow Daily Gratitude, sit down. It was a God Wink for sure:

 "Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep." -Romans 12:15  

YES! Of all of the verses in the scriptures.. this is the one that was given as my verse of the day. By chance? I think not. It is one of my newer "life verses" to live by. It is a favorite. It is one I quote often... and today... it was a gift from a God who knew just what we needed. 

We love Jan... his beautiful bride of almost 35 years. In their family... there are no inlaws with the Smiths... there might a few outlaws, but that keeps us interesting. ;) We are family. Rob & Nikki, Chris & Kathy... Robin & family and all of the grandchildren... our hearts break and ache with yours, but we all know that the joys with Monte have far outweighed the sorrows. He was the best.  Heaven rejoices while we weep. I am forever grateful we can share the joys of knowing him with our tears. 

I am not done writing about Monte... but I wanted to get this posted. 

Today, I am grateful for big brothers.