The Most Amazing Blessing....

So... I have to say that I love watching the show, "Who do you think you are?"  My husband jokes that it is kind of like one big infomercial for Ancestry.com, but I can't help it.  I love it that people are finding out more about themselves.... finding family that they didn't know that they had... third cousins that they didn't know existed.  I know this may seem silly to some, and like a huge discovery to others, but it does open my eyes to how blessed I really am.  I could have nothing else in life but my family and still feel like the richest person on earth!

It wasn't until I reached adulthood that I realized just how important family was, it took me removing myself from my family, because we moved halfway across the country from everyone and everything I knew to realize what I had all this time, and now that I miss dearly!  The thought started before I left home and moved away... in 2004, my grandmother passed away, and she was my best friend... she was the one I couldn't wait to call and talk to when I got home from school and something amazing had happened that day.  When I was mad at my parents, as all normal teenagers are at one time or another, she is the one I called to talk to, and even though she always offered the SAME council that both of my parents had only moment before, when she said it... I listened. :)  At her funeral my brother spoke, which I was completely impressed by because I would have neither the words to say or the composure to be able to express my thoughts at that time, but he did, and so beautifully might I add.  He was speaking about his experience with his professors and peers at the university he attended as he made preparations to leave for my grandmother's funeral.  He said that as he spoke to his professors and peers and as he told them what his reason was for leaving town mid-semester, they made the same statements, "I'm sorry... were you close?"  He then realized that not everyone's relationship was not like ours.  Not everyone had the amazing relationship that we had with our grandparents or extended family in general.  At that moment... my realization of the amazing family that I have began.  There are many people who cannot say that they speak to their grandparents regularly...much less, share the fond memories that I have of mine.   They don't have a grandparent that they have memories of words of wisdom from because their grandparents don't talk about anything with them other than the usual small talk, "how are your grades", " are you staying out of trouble", etc.

Growing up, and to this day, every other year our family has a reunion.  I never thought anything of it until recently when I realized just what that meant.  On the last day of the reunion, just before everyone went their separate ways, we would all join hands, say a group prayer and then count off to see just how many of us there were.  It was always fun to do as a kid, but to sit here now at the age of 30 and think how great of a feat it was to get 200 + people together who were all related and loved each other so dearly every other year... was unimaginable for most families, but we did it with such ease!  The connection to our family was expected, and to travel to another city where someone was related to you, and just call them up was what you were supposed to do.

My family is not perfect... we have the same flaws and issues as others do.  There are those who are broken and bruised and what other families would call the "black sheep"... but the difference is that in this family... what I have experienced is love for everyone.  You may make a mistake, and you may even get shunned and talked about amongst the family... but when you ask for help, or you ask for forgiveness, or you ask for another chance... you get it , and with open arms and love and at the end of the day... we are all still family.  I am blessed... so very very blessed to be a part of something so amazing!  I am happy for those who are able to use social networking and ancestry.com and all the other modern resources that are available to connect with our family... and I don't take for granted that I don't need all of those... I was born into a family who found one thing important... and it is powering all of our engines to this day... FAMILY!