Notes on Family

Happy Saturday!!!!

I cannot tell you how EXCITED I am 

that the weekend is FINALLY here. 

It has been a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG and busy week: 

Church Sunday and Monday Evening, 

Working all week, 

Ladies' Small Group Wednesday Evening, 

Editing pics during any spare time I happen to find, 

Cleaning last night,

2 Thirty-One Parties to attend this weekend (I guess the busyness isn't over!)

Despite all the rushing around (and not getting much sleep), 

I found myself feeling a bit 

melancholy and nostalgic

about a subject that is near and dear to my heart

as well as occasionally difficult and painful to discuss:

MY FAMILY.

I fully realize that my last sentence may seem like a 

complete and total contradiction, but it is also
the truth.
 That being said, what follows are 
some random thoughts concerning Family.
These go in no particular order;
I've numbered them only for grouping purposes.

Number 1:

And the sooner you figure that out, the better!

Number 2:

Your family is who you choose to be your family;

 the people you choose to be close to, 

support, confide in, and go out of your way to be kind to. 

They are the people that, if at all possible, 

you can trust to be there for you no matter what. 

These are the people you can show your real emotions to; 

who you can tell the truth to 

- even in a yelling match - 

and they will still love you when the discussion is over.

I'll say it again, 

you get to choose your family.

Number 3:

Your family is human. 

They are gonna mess up and make mistakes. 

Sometimes REALLY BIG ones. 

At some point, they are going to let you down.

It's gonna happen because they're human. 

As humans, we make mistakes. 

It's just what we do.

But your family is made up of the people who love you IN-SPITE of your mistakes.

So love them in-spite of theirs.

Number 4:

 

No one's family is perfect.

You aren't the only one who dreads family reunions and birthday parties.

All families have their squabbles and insecurities. 

They all have annoying cousins, nagging aunts, and condescending uncles.

It's just how life goes. 

Love them anyway. They're your family.

Number 5:

 

It's a simple fact.

It's what makes family time interesting.

I realize today's blog has been very different from my previous entries.

 But I think it's a good thing. It's a sign of growth. 

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, my family is sometimes a difficult subject for me to discuss. 

I say that again to demonstrate that I understand the 

wide range of emotions that comes with discussing family. 

I struggle with family issues just like you. 

I have moments when the last thing I want is to be around my family.

Sometimes, they drain me instead of build me up.

Sometimes, they are overly critical and immature. 

Sometimes, I am too. 

But at the end of the day, we're still family.

And that's enough.

Thank you for reading.