Monday, April 12, 2010

Family

Sometimes my family drives me crazy. That's a pretty normal thing, I'm sure. On the other hand, most of my happiest memories involve a family member.

Take a minute to think about some of your happy memories. Do you ever realize how happy you are in the moment? It is so easy to not notice moments like that because they are so normal and simple and common, but those can be some of the best memories. You could just be sitting around the table after dinner talking and laughing and remembering silly stuff or lounging around on a perfect Sunday afternoon...even a trip to the store can become memorable.

I took a friend to do some sight seeing this weekend and we stayed the night with my grandparents. My aunt (my mom's only sister) was also visiting so we got to hang out with her as well. It was so fun to watch and listen to my Grandad as he was telling stories about me to my friend - stories that I don't even remember all the details to and stories about things that were just between him and me. It was fun to listen to my Grandad and my aunt mention things about my mother that I didn't really realize we had in common (neither of us can make fudge). There are stories and memories and experiences that can only come from family...usually they are the most embarrassing*/funny/sad/touching ones in your life and, when I take the time to think about that, I am so grateful for my family.

All of those experiences and connections are what help to make me a lovely person. They keep me happy and humble and grounded. And the best part is, family is unlimited...the term can be all encompassing if you want it to be. Your family can include your immediate family members, cousins, close friends or even your aunt's neighbor's dog. It's a great thing. So don't discount the lazy days and shopping trips and boring Wednesday nights. There's always an opportunity to create a happy memory.



*I was going to include a photo of my family, but they are all pretty much in the embarrassing category, so we're skipping that part for now.

No comments: