be the thing

Sundays were a big day growing up. It was family day, no matter what. Church, lunch, hiking, putt-putt golf or park and playgrounds...anything not work, anything all together. 

That day of rest and Sabbath runs deep in me, and after over a decade of living in a place where absolutely NO ONE lives alone, it kills me here in Mississippi thinking of how many people around us eat alone, every meal. Live alone, every day. 

Matt would probably LOVE to live alone :)  But Stacey, it kills me, and Sundays, I can't take it. 

I miss our families more on Sundays, I miss Haiti more. I miss our neighbors and friends we spent Sundays with, and from the week we moved in, on Sunday, when things on purpose slow down, we felt so alone on "family day."  

We started looking for people who might be alone on Family Day, too, and Sunday night has become the sweetest spot of our week...a bunch of alone people eating together, which has produced some amazing meals, some precious conversation, some powerful ways to pray, and tonight, when everyone was gone, Matt and I realized it has produced some genuine, true, beautiful family.

I never cook alone anymore, always people bringing this or that, special dishes, memory dishes, seasonal dishes, local dishes made with love, no perfection necessary. The kids don't sit polite anymore, but snuggle our neighbors and bring art work or school work or a new ball to show and tell, share openly about their ideas and thoughts. Tonight I needed school skirts taken in, and someone can and is. This week is a HUGE week with lots of people coming, Matt's inauguration, graduation, family from all over, and while one sews, another is coming over this week to take the kids for a bit so mama can clean. 

One friend saw new school supplies and brought the girlies crayons. Another will take Gracie tomorrow as we take Labor Day to tour Vicksburg. 

We talk about church this morning and the weeks ahead and the weeks behind. We talk about memories and people long gone and well-loved. We talk about hard things and good things and upcoming things, and last week I knew we'd arrived when our dear friend beautifully interrupted the conversation with, "Can I ask you to please pray for me this week?" and shared her hard. I knew we'd arrived when everyone texted this week to check on her. 

Tonight as everyone headed back out for a new week, as the kids bathed and Matt washed and I swept, he sighed, "I love our Sunday Family" and I realized that the Lord has truly, uniquely and specifically given us people I never thought we'd have again. People who care and know, who give and receive, who ask and share, who help and ask for help, who pray and ask for prayer. People who love and know our kids. People we don't dress up for, mop for, stress over dinner for.

We're a social family, we reach out hard, and I knew we'd make friends. We have, and I'm thankful. 

But making family? 

That's one of those things only God does...sends...creates. I've shared so many struggles here, and I wanted to share a praise, as quickly as I realized it.  

We need family, us six. We were so rich with family in Haiti, and that will never change, we are so blessed in our family in Ohio and PA and DE and NJ and Kansas and Florida, and that will never change...but we needed some in these days, in this place...and how beautifully and humbly I can see His hand providing and sending family through the very day we asked for it...Family Day.

Praise the Lord. 

Go BE the thing that you are praying for, and watch how the Lord provides.