Not Always Storybook

Some families are simple.
Ours is a little hard to explain.
But it’s full of love.

Jonathon is technically my brother-in-law, my wife’s youngest brother.
But from the start, he’s been more than that.

We were still teenagers when he was born.
We took him on dates, fed him pizza, and carried him around in a stroller like he was ours. Because he always kind of was.
Jon grew up alongside our boys, joined most every vacation and holiday. So many great family memories.

And then came Brynn, his beautiful daughter.
Our first grandchild.
Not by blood. But in every way that matters.

She never got to meet her grandparents on her dad’s side.
They left us far too soon.

But in the space they left behind,
She’s always had us.
Pop Pop and Sherbear.

Not replacements. We could never do that.
Just love that showed up anyway.

A few days ago, Brynn looked at an old photo of our young family and asked my wife,
“Who are they?”

She said, “Those are my boys - Caleb, Chase, and Caedan.”

Then Brynn asked,
“What about my daddy? Is he your boy, too?”

And my wife said
“He’s my brother.
But yes, sweetheart. He’s my boy, too.”

Then came the next question:
“Who was my dad’s mom?”

And with tears in her eyes, my wife told her the truth.
She told her how much her Nonna would’ve loved her.
How proud she would’ve been.
How she would’ve adored every part of her.
And then we reminded her of what’s always been true:
We are your Pop Pop and Sherbear.
And we will always be.

Because family isn’t always biological.
It isn’t always clean or tidy.
But it is always about love.

Love shows up.
Love chooses.
Love stays.

You don’t have to come from a perfect family to belong.
You don’t need a storybook past to write a beautiful future.

Sometimes, the people God gives you become something more.
They become yours.
And you become theirs.

That’s a real family.

If this encouraged you, would you share it with one friend who might need it too?

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