The adventure of family

 A preacher that I know and love says often "Friends are God's apology for family."  We have been so blessed with good close friends over the years who have become family to us, and we are most grateful for that experience.  I have never lived close to family - growing up my grandparents and all my cousins were a half-a-continent apart, and a once a year visit was the best we could manage.  My brother moved to Phoenix in 1972 and has stayed there, while we have been in Mo and Tex, so we never lived close.  But God fills in the gaps for us, doesn't he?  Today I am thinking especially of these "brothers" and "sisters":

Above is Wayne Tallant, Bill Hilton and Jerry Hilton.  Bill and Jerry have been friends since birth, growing up across the street from one another...Their parents were good friends..Bill was Best Man at our wedding 50 years ago.  (They are related some way, but even tho they share the same last name, it is not on that side of the family that they are related!  Don't ask--they are both from Crane MO!) Wayne and Bill have been together for 41 years, so he has been in our family that long.  None of them had blood brothers...but now they have one another and are probably closer than many brothers.

Here are the sisters - Judy McGuirk, Pat Mundy and Mary Hilton.  Pat and I have been friends since 1985, when we moved to Enid OK.  We started traveling together in our RVs a number of years ago, and now, since Pat has retired, we make most of our travels together.  (One day we will make a Texan out of her!)  Judy entered our lives as a close friend of Bill & Wayne's in El Paso...and since none of us has a blood sister, we readily adopted one another.

Family reunions are great with the six of us.  We have just been in El Paso together, now Judy will be joining us in Mesa AZ while we celebrate Bill's birthday...and as we return through El Paso in mid-February, we will celebrate sister Judy's birthday.

Thank you, God, for brothers and sisters you have put in our lives!