Six years ago, my husband and I took a leap of faith and moved to Texas from California. The morning after we moved, I went to grab a pair of shoes from the closet, but outside of the flip flops I had on my feet the night before, there were no shoes to be found. I remembered putting them in a trash bag and putting them in the driver's seat of our car that was being towed behind the van carrying our whole life in it on the trek in. So, I went out to the car, but they were nowhere. At some point, we assume, they were taken out of the seat when the car was moved and set out in the driveway. At that time, someone either threw them away (they were in a trash bag after all) or obtained a brand new shoe collection. Nonetheless, anything I would have worn to job interviews, or even in the rain, were gone.
This brings me to a family that I hold very near and dear to me, the Barlows. My husband knew them since he was very young so it was natural that they were the ones to welcome us back in to this grand state first. We were invited to their house for dinner, and of course we loved free food on our VERY tight budget, but I was excited to get to know some new folks. We walked in and were greeted with warmth and love...and a brand new bag of shoes!!! Lori had called a couple of ladies and put a shoe donation together. I felt so blessed, and relieved since I had my first interview coming that following week, but even more so, extremely drawn to this family as they were already becoming a very large part of my heart.
Over the years, we've had the privilege of doing life with the Barlows. Lori and I worked together before I began teaching full time, and both of us will never forget the first house we cleaned where we sat on the kitchen floor and wept listening to each other's stories and bonding over how God had brought us to this place. Since then, she's played an intricate role in my life in teaching me the beauty of friendship, marriage, and servanthood. She and her husband, Jim, have been huge encouragers, the givers of sound advice, as well as teachers in leading by example in marriage, family, and love. Their sons, Josh, Zach, and Caleb, are the brothers I never had. We help, encourage, and pick on each other constantly. I've awakened from a dead sleep many times over the years thinking of my brothers, praying that they make it through another night of war, another night of homesickness, or another night of heartache and loneliness. I love them more than they could ever know.
This Christmas, I had the privilege of taking the Barlow's family photos! You'll see a pretty, new addition in there, Sommer, the newest Barlow of the bunch. (She and Josh were married January 8th!) Here's a few shots of this family for your viewing pleasure.
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