Family

-

Family.

You don't get to choose them. 

They can drive you crazy at times. 

But they also can be such a huge blessing in your life.

We are enjoying Dan's brother and our nephew as they came for an overnight visit.  There has been lots of laughter, catching up, and activity.  The house went from utter chaos a few minutes ago to absolute silence as they all trucked out the door to go running at the local track.

As I'm sitting here enjoying my coffee and the silence for a few minutes, I'm so thankful for the small moments we have to spend time with those we love.  I'm thankful that I got to see my nephew before he goes off to college again in a month.  I'm so happy that my children got to spend some quality time with their uncle and cousin.  As I went in to say goodnight to Emily last night she said, "I love Uncle Paul and Bryce."  "They are so peaceful to be around." 

 
And as I reflect, I'm also thinking about how so many don't appreciate family.  They focus on the little quirks and things that annoy.  They forget to look at the good.   They fixate so much on what is wrong that they never see the right.

Take a moment today and appreciate the good qualities in your immediate and extended family.  Pick up the phone and tell them how much you love them.  Write them a note and express your appreciation.

Family.

We can't choose them.

They can drive us crazy.

But, we need to appreciate the blessing they can be.

Comments

  1. Idaho MamaJuly 29, 2014 at 12:32 PM

    Well said! There are things that most of our family and I don't see eye to eye on BUT they are family and ya don't have to agree with them 100% of the time to love and appreciate them. After living so far away from our family these past few years we have learned a new appreciation for our family members, even those that usually annoy us. lol Family should be cherished.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love your comments and encouragement! I can't always respond back but do read each comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Oh What to Do; I'm Sixty-Two!

-
Image
Today is my sixty-second birthday and it's hard to believe I've achieved that....um....seasoned age! My first thought this morning was one of not being sure that I like it. However,  as I thought I about it, I decided to take joy in the fact that I've reached an older age. Because age comes with benefits. Benefit #1 - I'm a bit wiser.   When I look back at some of the decisions I made when I was younger, I cringe. With age has come the ability to slow down and think things through before I make major upheavals in my life. I've also discovered that getting worked up about certain things is just an absolute waste of emotional energy. Benefit #2 - I'm enjoying my life.   As I've aged I've learned all kinds of skills and hobbies and can honestly say that I'm never, ever bored. I love all the different things I'm able to do and it's fun! Benefit #3 - I've learned to appreciate my relationships. With age I've learned to work on developing a...
Read more

Eating to Live

-
Image
  Despite the unexpected busyness and interruptions, I have been plugging away at my weight loss as well as writing the plant-based, whole food cookbook. Recipe testing fell by the wayside the past two weeks, but I've still gotten a good chunk of the book done. I also got on the scale this morning for another one pound loss which makes a total of 61 lbs. since I started this journey back in July. It's second nature at this point and I have so much more energy and feel healthy. The only negative is that because I've lost so much weight I'm seeing some sagging, crepe-papery skin happening. Yuck. Some of that is age and I need to figure out some toning exercises. It's definitely a life-style change, but a positive one which I'm so thankful I started on. The pictures above are a small selection of meals I've eaten the past two months and many of those will be included in the book.  This will be a printable e-book as I find that will be the easiest and most cost ...
Read more

When the Unexpected Pops Up

-
Image
On Thursday afternoon, just as Dan and I were getting ready to leave for a meeting, we received a phone call from our son. He was sitting on the side of the road with a blown engine in his car. The problem is he lives 3 1/2 hours away. After back and forth phone calls he called a tow truck and got it towed to a garage. He ended up renting a car and headed here for the holiday. We've been working with him to figure out his next steps because he still owes thousands of dollars on the car which will also take a significant amount to replace the engine. His rent is going up in the new year. His seasonal job ended and he is trying to find something else, but needs a car for that to happen. His car still has not been looked at by the mechanic. It is all more than a little overwhelming. Long story short, we extended an invitation for him to live here temporarily so he can get out from under all of this. It would save him money on expensive rent and utilities.  The timing was right since h...
Read more