My family moved to Virginia from Utah about 9 years ago. In Utah I saw my relatives relatively often. I have many memories of playing with my cousins doing random awesome stuff that little kids do. In Virginia, things were pretty different. Most of my relatives lived about 2000 miles away. Even my sisters didn't live close since they were older than me, because they all moved out when they went to BYU. Finally the time came when I was moving out myself. It was June 2010 and I was moving out two days after graduation to start the summer term. A week earlier my grandma had died. So the rest of my family actually came out around the same time for that as well. This event really opened my eyes to what I was missing.
It was a great day, with great weather. I was loving the high altitude and the warm sunlight I remembered from precious summers visiting relatives in Utah. All 55 of the relatives on my moms side had gotten together for my grandmothers funeral, with the exception of 3 missionaries. It was kind of awkward at first, seeing people I had'nt seen for 5-10 years. ONe of cousins really broke the ice pointing out that we were all friends on Facebook. After a short time we were all back to normal having a great time just like when we were little kids. Something about family, you may not have communicated in years, but no matter what, you've always got this connection that makes you really close. I got updated on everyone's lives and we all so happy to be together. We stayed there for the weekend and I loved being back on the my grandpas farm. This farm was the same farm that my mom grew up on. The same place where she would get up early to milk the cows or feed the chickens, along with her 8 siblings. Since then 3 more houses have been built on that land since some of my uncles still live right there with their families. This place is like a home for everyone in the family where we can always stay, and family will always be. In this place, I always have somewhere to go back to, somewhere I will always have family ready to accept me no matter what.
My grandmas funeral was to remember what she accomplished and to the legacy she left behind. Spending time that weekend with her 9 children, 41 grand children, and 9 great grandchildren, I saw something really great. Something that can't be measured in monetary terms but something that will last forever. If that isn't something to be proud of, I don't know what is.
I love the feeling that I get when I am around family as well. There is no other way in the entire world then to spend time with the people that you will be living with forever. I go to family reunions every summer and, like you, it is sometimes a little awkward at first. But after a while, we all begin to realize that we all really do have a lot in common, and that we should get to know each other sooner or later because we will be with each other for eternity! I appreciate this comment, because I think it will get a lot of people to reflect on their own lives and families, and maybe motivate them to get to know them a little better, and love them a little more.
ReplyDeleteI meant "There is no other way in the entire world to get that feeling than to spend time with...." in the second sentence.
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