Family

It’s Family Day today.  It got me thinking, what is family?

I have a small family.  Just me, my sister and my parents.  I am not close to any of my aunts, uncles or cousins.  I can tell you their names but I have no idea where they live.  I check in with my  parents and my sister maybe once a month.  I have a nephew that rents a room from me so I see him most often.  My other nieces and nephews I see on holidays and birthdays.

My largest and closest family are my friends.  I have a lot of friends.  I see them often and talk to them almost every day.  Some of them live a little farther away but we still keep in contact and make arrangements to see each other.

There are also my dogs.  They are my family too.  They get me out of bed every morning.  They snuggle with me on the couch and they remind me to be a responsible human when they need to be fed and let out.

Family is not just about the group of people you are born into, family is also the people you choose to spend time with.  When you put all of those people together you will have a very large family.

Family can make you laugh, cry and sing and do silly things.  Family is precious and we are sad when they have to leave us.  I was reminded of this on Saturday when I went to the hospital to see a friend for the last time.  She has not left us yet but she is in palliative care.

Every family has a full cast of characters. If we were all the same life would be boring. Which member of your family are you? Are you the quiet one, the funny one, the crazy one or the adventurous one? Are you the one that needs therapy or are you the therapist? If you don’t know then just ask. They will be more than happy to tell you. lol

To me, every day is family day.  I will be celebrating today by going out snowboarding with a few friends.  What are your plans? Whatever they are, enjoy every moment.

Wendy