Thirty-One Days of Thankful: Family (x2)
December 6, 2011 
My family.
Actually, this is my mom and siblings. Let's try this again...
My family.
That's a little better.
Actually, this isn't even all of my family. This is the largest representation, however, that has been gathered in one place in the last few years, so this will have to do.
No, this is does not include the long lost extended cousins. This is my mom (she's one of the tiny faces in the background that you can hardly see), my brothers and sisters, our spouses, children, and grandchildren.
And did I mention this is not all of them?
No, we're not Catholic.
Mr. Blue Eyes' family. Same deal... Parents, brothers and sisters, spouses and children.
Yes, they are Catholic.
(You might have surmised this by the priest, Mr. Blue Eyes' brother, in the middle!)
Since I'm a little behind on my thankful posting, I'm going to call today a two-fer.
One.
Two.
My family.
His family.
Two families.
Counts for two 'thankful' posts.
Deal?
Deal.
Writing about our families always causes me to hesitate a bit. For one thing, some of them read my blog, and it just feels weird writing about someone who will be reading it. Writing about myself, my life and my idiosyncrasies is one thing. Writing about someone else is another.
It's not that I would ever write anything bad about anyone, because there's nothing bad to write. We all get along perfectly, all the time.
It's a giant love fest.
Hah hah.
But seriously, putting my tongue-in-cheek attitude aside, there really is nothing bad to write. None of us are perfect, but both Mr. Blue Eyes and I have really wonderful families, and over the years I've learned to appreciate that more. I've also learned, being from large families that are fairly spread out, if you want good relationships with them, you can't wait for it to happen. Time and distance aren't your friend. You have to reach out and hug someone. Or call someone. Or send out an email. Sometimes it's all too easy to take our families for granted, because they're always there. Whether they're five miles or a thousand miles away, they're always there, in a way. They're always a part of your life. However, always being there for one another isn't the same as having a meaningful, loving relationship, and that's what I strive for these days.
Sometimes I feel spread thin, with so many to love, but that's a problem I'm thankful to have.
Family, Thirty-One Days of Thankful
Reader Comments (2)
I love this post. I think big families are awesome.
I only have one brother...........lonely upbringing.
You are all beautiful.
Love the thankfulness.
Gosh, such nice families! I absolutely agree that families are ALWAYS there and that is a blessing, but yes making an effort at the relationship makes the 'family' also your 'friend'. Thanks for sharing your families for us.