Rehoboth Farm

I admit, I never saw myself as a person who would have a big family. When you get married you tend to talk about having children in terms of pre-defined numbers. Kim and I talked about having three. First we had one, then two. Then we had three; but three became four when three became twins. Then four became five and five became six. Now six is becoming seven and numbers donÂ’t seem to mean that much anymore.

One major reason is that numbers turn into little people. As they grow they develop characteristics all their own, some of which are hilarious. Having a lot of other siblings must drive some of this because I was never as creative and funny as our children seem to be. Of course home-schooling and the lack of negative influences plays a major role as well. Just when Kim and I get down with the weight of the world, (du jour), one of them will do something that reminds you of why you have no answer when someone asks you, "So, are you done now?". (having children).

Take yesterday. The whole family was sitting in the den doing different things. Kim and I were perusing the internet by an open window that was allowing a very balmy breeze for early March to float in. Just then we heard two little high-pitched voices calling into the room from outside.

"This is your conscience speaking...", one voice said. Kim and I looked at each other, puzzled. "...You need to bake a cake...", said one voice, followed by another voice that said, "...With chocolate icing...", then the first voice said, "...And donÂ’t forget the ice cream!...".

Looking around the room we noticed that our twin girls, Emily and Ivey, were missing. All of the rest of us looked at each other and started laughing. Now the voices from below the open window were laughing as well, "...Listen to your conscience!!!, donÂ’t ignore it!!..bake a chocolate cake!!!"

Many people I work with have fond memories of college or even high-school and talk about their unique circle of friends and how they did everything together. For many of these people those were the best remembered times of their lives. Many even try to rebuild those types of comrade groups within the workplace, but they usually cannot recapture the good-ole-days. However, those same folks will ask me why we have so many children, and isnÂ’t it a pain to have to haul so many people around everywhere you go?

What they donÂ’t understand is that when you are a big family, you have that group of comrades; but it goes even deeper and lasts even longer, in fact it lasts for eternity. Lord willing our children wonÂ’t go looking for a group to belong to because they already belong to the most unique and fun bunch of folks that they know; each other. We enjoy each otherÂ’s company more and more every day, and each new addition to the family gets pampered and loved on by more and more older siblings. We are not the perfect family, far from it, but with the LordÂ’s help we can get better all the time. As for now we seek His guidance to show us how we should be living, and sometimes we also listen to our conscience; especially when it tells us to bake chocolate cakes with ice cream.