Family

Assumptions are on hold for now....This past weekend I went to Atlanta to spend some time with some friends and I met some family for the first time. It was a great experience and it made me think about some things. I love my family...the good and the bad.

I have a very interesting family dynamic, but it has helped to mold and make me into the person I am today. Long story short...I was raised by both my mother and father and grew up having and older sister that had cerebral palsy and was in a wheel chair her entire life. I have had extended family from cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, grandfather, and so on.

When you look at this picture this is what is left of my immediate family. My sister died while I was in college...when I tell people they are like awe, but I am like God blessed her to see 23 years old when the doctors said she would not live past 6 months. I love my sister and miss her, but she is in no pain. My father...My parents were married up until my freshman year of college then they got divorced. My father struggled with alcoholism that got bad in my teen years. He eventually died a couple of years ago. It was sudden and a shock, but that is how life is sometimes. Who is left now is my mother and me. We love each other and we have each other's backs through the ups and downs. We are not perfect. We fight, argue, and disagree, but we know how to squash the madness. I love her and she is my biggest supporter.

Back to what inspired this blog...the family I met this weekend was my family on my mother's father's side of the family. I have talked to a couple on the phone over the years and only met one face to face twice my whole life. When I met the family it just made me think about how family is important. Although we had never met before and really did not know each other they welcomed me in with open arms. The meeting was short, but it made me think about my family and how much I love them all. They are not perfect, but they are my family and I love them ALL!!!