Feel The Love....I Did!

Last night I was flipping around on the TV and stopped when I came across a show about the Duggar family....you know the Duggars....19 and counting? If you don't, then you must live under a rock....just kidding! Actually I don't "know" the Duggars, but I do "know" of the Duggars. I have watched a few of their shows from time to time, and I'm going to admit I'm fascinated by the fact that they have 19 children...oh and now 1 grandchild. I know having 19 children is not for everyone, but I also know that it is not our place to make judgements on the Duggar family. Truly the main thing I've noticed when I have happened upon one of their shows, besides the fact that they seem extremely organized and everyone's name starts with the letter J, is that their family seems to have lots of love and respect for each other. Now I realize it's TV, and who knows how accurate all of that is; but I have absolutely no reason to doubt that this family just loves each other....not unlike my own family or many other families. Just because they have 19 children doesn't make them love each other any less, and as far as the being organized....it's sort of a necessity when you have lots of people in one abode....whether it's 21 people or 7! Anyway as I was saying.....I've seen lots of love on their shows. When I flipped it over last night, it was towards the end of the show. It was a recently taped show, because it was about the birth of their last baby....a girl....Josie Brooklyn....who was born premature at 25 weeks weighing 1 pound 6 ounces. The show interviewed the Duggar parents, it showed footage of the oldest children telling their younger siblings about the birth, it showed the children all trying to get home from another country where they were on a mission trip, it showed the baby, but the last few minutes of that show made a huge impact on me. As the 18 children arrived at the hospital, and their mother was wheeled out in a wheelchair to greet them.....hugs were exchanged, smiles were there, their dad kindly reminded the little ones to be gentle while hugging their mother....who had just had an emergency caesarean.... and....Michelle....their mother wiped away a few of her own tears! Then it showed them all....one by one... file into the NICU without making a sound. Older children holding younger children, they were all there, all 18....not making a sound....completely quiet....they all stood and gazed at their new baby sister. Some began wiping away tears.....some covered their mouths in amazement....but nobody made a sound. The only person who spoke was their father....he said "Isn't she small?" Even though nobody spoke....not even the little ones....you could sense the overwhelming LOVE in that NICU room.....the love that those children had for their baby sister, for each other, for their parents.....it was exuded fully in that moment. I don't know the Duggars, and I probably never will; but what I do know is that their family isn't really all that different than a lot of families when they are facing a struggle. Sure they have 19 children, and that is very different than a lot of families; but right now their family is scared, hopeful, leaning on their faith, and loving each other! If you happen to stumble across that episode, and you have a few minutes.....watch the end of it and FEEL THE LOVE.....I DID!