It's All About Family

Last week was both horrendous and wonderful. I caught a monster of a cold on the flight back from China, tried to recover from jet lag without any whining, found out a friend unexpectedly lost his mom, discovered I'm not the be-all-end-all of my office and will have to retake a class due to my worldly travels . I also watched Sydney and Sarah perform in their church play as a rabbit and skunk respectively, visited with cousins I haven't seen in five years and watched our children as they became fast friends, listened to countless stories from masterful storytellers, and remembered that my family is what really matters.

My uncle, Bruce, turned 70 this past weekend and his wife Marie threw a great party inviting his family and close friends. It was really nice; yummy food, bottomless drinks, great weather, and happy moods. One of the best sights was seeing my dad, Uncle Bruce and Uncle Dan together. Three brothers, laughing and reliving raucous times from their childhood. Larry gave Bruce a bottle of Chinese vodka that he'd brought back from his January trip. The girls gave him a bottle of ketchup and a t-shirt that says "Everything tastes better with ketchup". He and Sydney are from the same mold in that regard. My cousin Beth's daughter, Elaina, was such a trooper. Never once became visibly annoyed by my endless talker, Katie. Rick's (my other cousin) boys didn't get too overwhelmed by the Pink Tornados. Evan and Sarah were thick as theives by Saturday night; waltz lessons and massages were said to have taken place.

The weekend jaunt was exactly what I needed at a time when I thought I didn't want to be around anybody. Being with my family, my parents, cousins and other folks who were friendly and funny was just what the doctor ordered. I guess the point I'm trying to make, if to only myself, is that no matter how yucky the world may seem, it took about ten minutes of being around family to make me realize what matters. We are all replaceable in terms of our jobs, but my family is not. Let's not wait another five years before we do this again, OK?