like fence without the f

i have an enormous ence family.
and it all started many, many years ago when
charles carlton ence and mary mulder
{ fell in love }
they are old and frail now,
and i treasure the time we have with them.
we don't get together with ALL the cousins much
because it's too chaotic, drives us all mad.
but tonight we did:
rented out the whole lions club,
and surprisingly filled the whole thing up
with our 150 extended relatives.

i am the 32nd of 37 cousins,
so naturally all my older cousins are married
with 1 - 5 children each.
we're at totally different stages of life,
but i love watching them turn into sweethearts,
then mothers and fathers.
they gain the 30 pounds post-wedding weight
then go from driving audi's to suburbans.
i used to be so good at all the cousin's children's names,
but now i lose track. they get so big so fast, and there are sooo many.

but even though i maybe don't know all the next generation's faces
and we don't see everyone a lot during the year,
i love each of them for the way they make our family unique,
for the strong ence family bond we have.
all 150+ of us love being together no matter how chaotic it is.
and i've said it before, but it still rings true:
i could pick any one of my 150 relatives to look up to
for a role model or a hero, and i do. i look up to each of them individually, and all of them collectively.
my dad's 6 siblings and their spouses are one-of-a-kind
and they mean a lot to me, probably a lot more than they know.
my sweet grandparents probably won't make it much longer,
but because they fell in love those many years ago,
they have created something that will last long, long after they pass.
i'm in awe at the strong bond that can exist in family
and i know with all my heart that
the lord truly puts us in the families we are in for a great purpose.

i'm so grateful to be an ENCE.
i belong to the greatest family in the world.