As we prepared for Easter yesterday we put out extra tables for the guests. We had to borrow chairs. We ran a bit short on our silverware. In our moderate-sized home, the number of guests was going to be tight. Once we got everything squared away, we learned that one of our guests was bringing another extra person with them. The more the merrier, right?

As the guests arrived we watched out the window. Kids in matching outfits. Smiling faces. Food and chairs being held in hands. Then we noticed something different. There were actually two extra guests.

One short scramble later we had another place set at the table. It was a bit tighter around the table. We had a bit less food per mouth. But it was wonderful. First, it was great to share the resurrection celebration with another person. Second, it was wonderful that people felt like our home and our family was a place that they could bring someone. It spoke to comfort and a sense of family.

The people who were the “bringers” entered our lives almost 10 years ago because of Celebrate Recovery. The are part of our forever family. Those kids in matching outfits call us Grammy and Papa.

The recovery journey teaches us to be ready for anything and to be able to respond in various situations. Our mini-mad-scramble exercised that part of recovery. But it also teaches us to have a network of friends, a Forever Family. We had that and then some yesterday. We had more Forever Family at dinner than we had genetic family. It was a wonderful was to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, and a fabulous way to…

–Rise Up!!