Familia

Growing up, I was always very close to my family. I didn't move out until I was 19. Despite all of the crap I put my family through I always had them by my side. Even so, I think know there were times when I took them for granted. Teenagers seem to do that. I always LOVED my family but there were times when I didn't LIKE them. Except for my brother, he was/is always on my love list. Of course, typical teenage thought process really clouded my brain in that way. Because, you know, you’re parents are always trying ruin your life at 16. Darn them!

Now that I’m older with a family of my own I've learned to appreciate the time spent together. Not just us three, but my extended and “adopted” as well. For me, a great time is barbecuing at my parents house surrounded by my family and friends. We get loud, play different kinds of music, and dance around. There is always a lot of laughter and fun between us all. We spend our time outside instead of in front of the TV. We sit around the table and talk with one another. There is always food being cooked (not so great for my diet). Someone's always debating, and my grandmother is always pinching someone because they aren't paying attention. :) This is how we spend time together as a family.

This past weekend was one of those weekends. Family from Georgia came down and Emery was able to play with her cousin for the first time. We had our friend Joel bring his family down from Goldthwaite. More family from Weatherford came down in the evening. We spent our entire day outside-- except for lunch time, and dinner time. The kids ran around, ate popsicles, and played in the dirt. I haven’t seen Emery have that much fun, or go to sleep so early (8:30) in awhile. It was so perfect, and it really made my heart happy.

When Sunday night came around, I felt so blessed to have the family and support that we do. I felt so happy knowing that Emery will grow up with this over abundance of love in her life. Whether she appreciates it or not as she's growing up, it will always be there. And that’s something that really reassures me that everything will be okay. Emery will always get to see the happiness, the laughter, and the kindness that we all show for one another. No matter how hard things get, or what obstacles present themselves, we’ll always have our family. We’ll always have this time together. And that’s something I’m really thankful for. This past weekend made me realize just how important that feeling is; how important familia is.