The past two months we have had the opportunity to travel down to GA to visit Ryan's side of the family. It seems in these times (after being in the family for more than 5 years) that Ryan's brother's wife, Teresa, and I have grown closer. There is a uniqueness in being wives of brothers that has brought us together. As many people may know, marriage is difficult and add to that, that Ryan is from a divorced family...well that has been more difficult than I ever imagined. I never expected the many trials that come divorce and even more shocked how they follow through into adulthood and NEVER go away. Anywho, back to Teresa, well she is one of the more God-centered women I know. She never judged me for my difficulties with breastfeeding as many other women have. She never judged me for wearing makeup when other women do. She never judged me for my lack of knowledge of the scriptures. She never judged me for for being me. She has always been accepting of me and even more so understanding. It was such a sweet time sharing together (even tears at times) during this last trip down there. I love the fact that we can be honest with one another and not fear offending one another. I love the fact that she doesn't hold things against me, cause I know there has been plenty she could :) And what makes it all so great...she is 16 years older than me...which means she's been there done that. She's learned from many more experiences than I have and can share with me her life lessons. We also came to the realization that our husbands (being brothers 11 years apart) are alike in many ways and some of their traits have been a result of the divorce. You see, Ryan was 5 when his parents divorced and John would have been 16. Because of the age differences during the divorce, Ryan and his brother were sort of separated as his brother went to live with their Dad for a short while. Although separated they both have similarities in how they were affected--this was Teresa and I's realization this past visit as I shared my heart and she shared her past. I am so thankful to have someone I can talk to about my struggles without it turning to gossip or disrespecting our husbands. What a blessing she has been to me.