Family

We all  have memories of our childhood...things that stand out to us either as  every day occurrences, or when something strikes a chord in the depth of our being and we identify it as something we remember fondly from years ago.

 

That happened to me this morning.  We spent the night at Donna and Bob's condo in Sunset Beach, Sunday over Monday.  We watched football and just hung around.  It was nice.  This morning, I had to work, so we got up early and Tony dropped me at work.  While I was getting ready for work, I could hear Donna and Tony talking in the kitchen.  I couldn't hear words, but conversation and laughter. It reminded me of growing up.  Of approaching our kitchen and hearing our parents talking "grown up stuff." I couldn't hear their words either, but I knew they were talking about things that would make our lives better.   It was a comforting feeling.  I wondered if Tony and Donna spent time around their kitchen table talking and planning their lives with their parents.  Their ease in conversation made me hope that all of our children enjoy that.  That there is someone around their kitchen tables that they are making memories with that will last for a long time. 

 

Family.  Such an important word.  Such a complex word.  We love it, we reject it, we find it again--thankfully but we don't appreciate it every day as we should.   Family.  The tie that binds.  The tie that cuts.  The tie that is really a thread in our family tree than spans generations. 

 

Family...what a powerful word.

 

To support our family, Tony will be traveling to Charlotte in a few days.  I will miss him, but I know that he will be helping Tony and Marie and making family memories with the kids. 

 

Family...what a powerful word.