There are very few people in this world who really “get” you. These are the people you can let your hair down with. The ones you can be completely yourself around. They are also the ones who’ve seen you at your ugliest. They’ve seen you when you were unlovable, yet they still love you.
These are the people you call on and they’ll drop what they’re doing to come to you and be with you. No matter what the need is. Even if you haven’t gotten along in the past, when the need is great, they step up and come to your aid.
They are your family. Our family has just gone through a sorrowful ordeal that I won’t go into here; but during this time as always, my family pulled together. That’s what I love about them. We come together and draw strength from one another. I look at each one and can see they all have different gifts. In times like these those gifts work harmoniously together.
When I talk about my family, I’m not just talking about my immediate family. I mean my extended family. My grandmother and her sister were very close; their children were close as well. Then their children, that’s the group I’m a part of, are close as well. Some of us have barely been around each other, but we’ve heard all the stories our parents have told us. So, when we get together, we feel like we’re a part of something greater. We know that we are family and for me at least, it just clicks.
That’s the importance of telling your children where you came from and what makes them who they are. Tell them the stories of how you overcame. Tell them about their family. I could recite many stories that I’ve heard over and over. To some it may get old hearing them, but for me, I take something new away each time; especially when you hear the same story from another person’s point of view. I think that’s why God put Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the bible. They shared some of the same stories, just different points of view. You gain something new from each one.
That’s how it is with my family. I gain something new from each of them. They don’t know how much I enjoy our time together. Oh, I’ve said it, and I try to let them know, but I don’t think they know just how important they are to me and how much I love them. That’s why I’m writing this. Each of you are special to me and I appreciate each one of you for who you are. God has truly blessed us with what we have. I understand that not everyone has this. I’m not naive enough to believe everything is perfect and that we don’t get things wrong sometimes. But that’s the beauty of it! We do get things wrong, but we still come together. We learn, we love, and we grow.
Here’s to all my family. I love you guys! Thanks for always being there.