Family. Oh, how I love my Family! I know that not all of us have traditional Families, for whatever reason. You may have a nontraditional Family by choice, or due to circumstances out of your control. Hopefully, no matter what kind of Family you have, there is love.
I grew up with a mother and a father, and sisters and a brother. Aunts and uncles, cousins, grandmothers and grandfathers. My husband and I raised our children surrounded by aunts and uncles, cousins, grandmothers and grandfathers. And my children are beginning their own Families, or soon will be, surrounded by people who love them. That's what Family should be. Arms always outstretched, ready to embrace, ready to accept, ready to love. No matter what. Unconditional love. Unconditional acceptance. That's what Family should be.
What kind of Family do you have?
I grew up with a mother and a father, and sisters and a brother. Aunts and uncles, cousins, grandmothers and grandfathers. My husband and I raised our children surrounded by aunts and uncles, cousins, grandmothers and grandfathers. And my children are beginning their own Families, or soon will be, surrounded by people who love them. That's what Family should be. Arms always outstretched, ready to embrace, ready to accept, ready to love. No matter what. Unconditional love. Unconditional acceptance. That's what Family should be.
What kind of Family do you have?
Families are the best. I have a crazy family, but we all have a ton of fun together.
ReplyDeleteI love reading about your 'crazy' family :)
DeleteIt's hard to discribe what kind of family I have because everyone is so different. But there is definitely lots of love, lots of laughs, sometimes heartache. But however you would describe them, they are MY perfect family. And that goes for sisters, brother, moms, and dads and everyone that comes with them. I love you Sis!
ReplyDeleteI'll describe it then - you have the kind of family that MY family wants to be around. And that's because of YOU! And Steve :)
DeleteI have the family I was born into, and then the family I created. Both are absolutely awesome.
ReplyDeleteHey! Me too!
DeleteMy family is very close and we see each other often (I have 6 siblings). I'm trying to raise my kids the same way. My husband's family (9 kids) is just the opposite. It makes me sad, but all the more determined that my kids won't be that way.
ReplyDeleteLiving up here in the corner, I don't see my siblings as often as i would like . . .I would like to see them everyday (haha) but I would settle for once a year :)
DeleteI love my family too! Unfortunately, my kids didn't grow up being close to their cousins since we didn't live close to family. We also have friends who we have adopted as family since we didn't live close to family. As my kids have grown and have families of their own and live spread apart from each other, the challenge is to remain close through the distance and yet, be accommodating to everyone's lives. Family can get complicated as well!
ReplyDeleteWe lived in Pullman for 10 years where ALL my husband's family lived (and I mean ALL). I remember being pregnant with my daughter, and two of my sisters-in-law were pregnant - with girls - at the same time. The first girls in the family. What fun! Now we live far away from all of my family and most of his as well:(
DeleteI have fairly close relationships with my siblings and my dad. I have little to no contact with my extended family on my mother's side--there was so much animosity and pettiness and nastiness when I was a kid that I didn't want my own children to be exposed to that. I was never really closely bonded with any of them, but after my mom passed away in 1994, I just stopped going around altogether. I still struggle with wondering if I did the right thing--for me and for my kids as well.
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Judy.
Don't second guess now - you're a good mom and did what you thought best for you and your children!
DeleteI've got the jackpot of families: a dysfunctional one. How great is that for blogging??? (;
ReplyDelete