A moment to breathe

I’m fresh back from a very quick trip (less than 72 hours) to Philadelphia and back to see my dad’s side of the family. It was a last-minute decision with so much meaning behind it. My cousin was having a 35th b-day dinner and a lot of the family was going to be there especially my grandma who isn’t doing all that well. In the past, I have refrained from getting to personal on here because the site has never and is not about me; however, this weekend had such a profound impact on me.

Family is family… for better or worse. There is no perfect model family or mold and to look at what is missing/lacking is foolish. Appreciate what it is you have and strive to improve what you can… Accept what it is you can not change and embrace the love that is shared (no matter how much or how little it is). Open your heart up and accept every imperfection as beautiful… Reach into the depths of your soul and ask yourself what you can do to be a better daughter/sister/granddaughter/cousin/even friend… And, DO IT. As they say there is no time like the present and you never know what the future will bring…

I have been blessed with this opportunity over the weekend… Growing up there was a lot of pain that I felt. I was angry, confused, sad, and lonely… I was searching for answers without asking questions… I was banging my head against a brick wall that could’ve easily crumbled… I was resentful for what I didn’t have yet I never saw how much was there. I never heard the other side of the story. I never stopped to ask why… And, I never truly opened myself up to all that was there… It wasn’t what I thought it should be. It wasn’t what I wanted it to be. And it certainly wasn’t perfect… But nothing is. None of us are. In my mind, perfection is a formula we construct that prohibits us from taking full responsibility for ourselves. There is always something/someone to blame for the imperfections and it’s paralyzing.

I can not change the past but I can impact the future. I will not take a backseat anymore with my dad, stepmom, step-sisters, and the rest of that side of my family. I may be 3000 miles away but I will no longer be a visitor in their lives… From now on, I would like to be a part of it…

To keep the family spirit alive, here are a few of my favorite quotes about the fam…

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

Just because somebody doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with everything they got ~Gail Lumet Buckley

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future.

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get — only with what you are expecting to give–which is everything. ~Katharine Hepburn

The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing…

So tell your family & friends you LOVE them… because you never can say it enough….xoxo