Family

To us nothing is more important than family. Both my husband and I come from very close families. We both have lost both our parents and for my husband the loss of his mother was very recent. We all went to Toronto for the Memorial Service and now most of our beloved family members are arriving for our son’s wedding this month. This was a lovely surprise that they would travel so far to help us celebrate but that is what this family always does. We support each other. My husband’s brother has an expression which certainly sums up this sentiment. “We come to together not because we have to but because we want to.”

Christmas 2012 is going to be a very special time for this family and we are going to spend it together in Virginia at a magnificent cabin in the woods. December 26th is also another brother’s 50th birthday and big birthdays are a big deal in our family. So our celebration will be twofold.

This is what my husband’s mother would have wanted – for us to be together and not lose track of each other. We would have been together regardless because both she and my husband’s dad instilled in their five children the love and respect of family and the joy that comes from being a part of a wonderful family.

I too had this love and respect in my family and I am so grateful that our children had such loving, caring grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins.

Most of us will be together for our son’s wedding in the garden of La Nueva Posada and we rejoice in our family’s closeness.

Many people grow apart from their family members because of distance or, in some cases, a perceived slight. In fact, in England my father’s brothers did not speak to each other for 40 years despite many efforts by my dad to reunite them.

We also are lucky enough to have the Eager family as our Mexican family and they are always part of any of our family celebrations.

Family is a source of strength and joy and sometimes they do not always get along. Some people think they might be better off without their family. What I would suggest is when things seem difficult or there are differences of opinion just love a little more which works miracles.

This piece of advice was from my husband’s mother who we will all love and miss for the rest of our lives as I will my wonderful parents.

If there is a family member you have not seen for a while give them a call and tell them that you love them. Nothing can replace family and, of course, dear friends.