Family

Why is there family?  Family, to me, is the safest place in all humanity.  It is the towering fortress of security where all members can flourish, operating in an environment where flourishing is encouraged, aided, and expected.  Flourishing means to strive toward one's desired potential in any areas one is drawn to and/or naturally gifted in.  But above all, family is because of a common foundation, acknowledged or unacknowledged, where the above can be achieved and fully realized.  So the foundation becomes the most critical component of the family, the Cornerstone if you will.  

Our family was given this by two people who, though very unlikely, found the perfect and only true Cornerstone, Christ Jesus, Lord.  He, in turn, was passed down through the acceptance of his offer of salvation, generation upon generation, now at the third.  We are now left with only one of those two founding members, our matriarch and first responder, Mary Nell Gentry Benson, who was saved and, as commanded, became our ambassador of reconciliation, so that peace with God through His Son, Christ Jesus, is our only hope for our family.  We are an all-for-one and one-for-all family, saved by grace, humbled by the reality of our sins forgiven, fiery in defence, no quarter for pretense of betterness, loving in acceptance, proud in our heritage, we can all long to honestly pledge;

All to Jesus I surrender

All to Him I freely give.

I will ever love and trust Him

In His presence daily live

I surrender all, I surrender all

All to Thee my blessed Savior

I surrender all. 

About half of us were able to celebrate
Christmas with our Matriarch, my mom.