The binding of a family

There is something about family and getting to spend quality time with people that I love that just renews my soul. No matter what is going on, what mountains I will face or what hills I am climbing, spending time with family reminds me of how truly blessed and lucky I am to be right where I am with such amazing people supporting me along the way.

I had an Christmas eve day with my mom, sister, her husband, my brother and of course Michael, and then had the chance to spend Christmas eve night with all of them plus my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on my mom's side. We attended mass together, we ate together, we prayed together, and we spent the evening laughing, listening, crying, and encouraging one another. I can always count on those things when we get together. It was everything that I needed and so much more but it was also too short. Michael's job does not allow him to be away for the holidays so we had to rush home that evening, leaving me feeling sad about leaving my family and even just a tad bit lonely.

It was while I was sitting in church this weekend that I really realized what it is that my family has that makes me so complete. As I was sitting in the pew by myself, I opened up the book to read about the stories that would be read during mass. I immediately knew why I had shown up at church that day. The scriptures and the message was directed towards me, right at my heart. It was talking to me about what I love so much about my family and also what I want to exist when I have a family of my own. Even more than that, it was grabbing my heart and trying to show me the type of person that I hope to become.

When I read the readings and listened to what was being said, I could see each of these virtues in my sweet family members. My grandparents instilled in their three children that family is always first. That you treat each other with respect, you understand the differences between you, but you never let those differences come between you, and above all of those things, you ALWAYS love each other fiercely. I am so thankful to them for that because those same qualities were what made me who I am today and who I hope to be as Michael and I start to grow our own family.

As I sat at my house after church, I thought about how much these same qualities shouldn't just be how you treat your family but also how I should treat all of the people that I love and come in contact with. I find it is so easy to sit in my seat and compare myself to the person next to me. It is even easier to pass judgement on people whom I have no background knowledge of their story or their journey. If only I would show them compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love, I can only image how much my life would be changed...how much my heart would be changed.

I don't know if I have any specific resolutions for the new year, but after hearing these words, I want this year working on the growth of these qualities being present in my every day relationships with all of the people in my life and the people that I meet along the way. I hope that you all had an amazing Christmas with your family and loved ones and have a great start to this week but an even better end to 2014.