Family Ties!

The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you.
          ~Kendall Hailey

I love Facebook... I love that it connects me to people I haven't seen in years. I have caught up with old schoolmates and friends from past work settings, seen photos of their families and learned about their lives. I have been able to stay connected in a new way with my own extended family. 

This morning as I read the latest offerings on Facebook I was struck with a theme-- everyone seemed to be talking about family reunions. My daughter-in-law's family is celebrating the 90th birthday of their patriarch with a gathering in New Jersey that she, my son and their two boys will be traveling to. I know my grandsons will have a great time being spoiled by their great grandparents, and assorted great aunts, cousins and second cousins. My sister is in Colorado at the reunion of her husband's family, and having spent time with some of these delightful people I know what fun they will have, and in a gorgeous setting. And a week ago my own family gathered for the birthday of my mother, including some extended family that we don't see very often. 

At my mother's party, I watched my three grandchildren play together and realized that this connection was a lifelong one-- playing with cousins would be a cherished memory for them...

Cousins with their great-grandma

Family can be everything. The most important thing. The best thing in your life. Family problems can override everything else, make life miserable, desperate. If your family is strong and supportive, you feel like you can survive just about anything life throws at you. Without that love and support, just living day-to-day can be hard. I know what it feels like to be on the outside of a family looking in, and I remember the grief I felt at the loss of family when I divorced. There was a time when I felt my family had disintegrated around me, and I felt alone and adrift. After I married Lanny, one of the great joys was being adopted by his family too.

Here's the thing, though. Family can be defined as just about anything. It doesn't have to be Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa with loving aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. I learned as an OB nurse that there are families out there with very non-traditional members, and they all provided the love and support needed to raise a child. My definition of family probably isn't the same as yours. What matters is that we each feel a part of a group that loves one another and supports one another. Good friends, coworkers, club members, church groups-- any of these can become family. Figure out who your family is and stay with them... love them, support them, stay in touch. It makes all the difference!