You sang the title, too right? Maybe even added on some soulful yeahs?
I have a huge family. Well actually, my intermediate family is pretty average in size: one mom, one dad, and two younger brothers. What makes it so big is the fact that my mom has five sisters and my dad has two sisters and a brother. All those aunts and uncles make for a lot of cousins, on both sides. Plus, I have more great aunts and uncles and second and third cousins than I can count.
But it wouldn't make much of a difference if I had all these family members if I never got to see them and know them. Never got to celebrate, laugh, and smile with them. Luckily for me, all sides of my family make family holidays, reunions, and just regular ole hangouts a priority.
This past weekend I was able to attend the Elliott Family Reunion in Oakland, Iowa. I truly loved being able to catch up with relatives I haven't seen in a while. It was such a great time listening to stories and laughing at old memories, all while making new ones in the process. We ate, we shared, we joked, and we took so many pictures my cheeks hurt.
The best part of the whole weekend was sitting around my grandparent's dinner table with my aunts, uncles, parents, and siblings playing a card game called "Who In the Room?" where you point to a person who you feel most relates to a characteristic named on the card. For example, "Who in the room is most likely to look at themselves in the mirror every time they pass by?" So, of course, we all pointed to Zach. We sat there for at least three hours, and I think we all laughed so hard we cried at least five times. I mean, just imagine my dad struggling to read the card when it was his turn came because his eyes were blurry from tearing up due to laughter. I really think I could have ended the night with washboard abs if we'd kept going.
There was a moment in the middle of all the laughs, games, and stories that I just looked around the table and my heart couldn't help but overflow with joy. My family is so important to me. They support me in everything I do and always remind me to keep Christ the center of my life. I know without a doubt I would not be half the person I am without their influence.
I love my time with them, and it's something I treasure deeply. I wish I could go back to 12-year-old me and just shake some sense into her. All that time I spent in my room to avoid spending time with them because I thought they were annoying is time I could have been enjoying with them the same way I do now. I have to miss our annual vacation to Table Rock with my Grandma Jan's side of the family for the first time in my whole life this summer, and it breaks my heart.
Yes, we do quarrel and honestly, I still do get annoyed by them at times, but I've learned that's all the result of exhaustion from all the fun we have together. Apparently, we are all quite prone to getting hangry. Good thing when we meet.... we always eat.
Family: six letters and unmeasurable love. I thank God for mine every day.
This past weekend I was able to attend the Elliott Family Reunion in Oakland, Iowa. I truly loved being able to catch up with relatives I haven't seen in a while. It was such a great time listening to stories and laughing at old memories, all while making new ones in the process. We ate, we shared, we joked, and we took so many pictures my cheeks hurt.
The best part of the whole weekend was sitting around my grandparent's dinner table with my aunts, uncles, parents, and siblings playing a card game called "Who In the Room?" where you point to a person who you feel most relates to a characteristic named on the card. For example, "Who in the room is most likely to look at themselves in the mirror every time they pass by?" So, of course, we all pointed to Zach. We sat there for at least three hours, and I think we all laughed so hard we cried at least five times. I mean, just imagine my dad struggling to read the card when it was his turn came because his eyes were blurry from tearing up due to laughter. I really think I could have ended the night with washboard abs if we'd kept going.
There was a moment in the middle of all the laughs, games, and stories that I just looked around the table and my heart couldn't help but overflow with joy. My family is so important to me. They support me in everything I do and always remind me to keep Christ the center of my life. I know without a doubt I would not be half the person I am without their influence.
I love my time with them, and it's something I treasure deeply. I wish I could go back to 12-year-old me and just shake some sense into her. All that time I spent in my room to avoid spending time with them because I thought they were annoying is time I could have been enjoying with them the same way I do now. I have to miss our annual vacation to Table Rock with my Grandma Jan's side of the family for the first time in my whole life this summer, and it breaks my heart.
Yes, we do quarrel and honestly, I still do get annoyed by them at times, but I've learned that's all the result of exhaustion from all the fun we have together. Apparently, we are all quite prone to getting hangry. Good thing when we meet.... we always eat.
Family: six letters and unmeasurable love. I thank God for mine every day.
Well said! You do have a fantastic family, and many of them are the most Christ-like people I know. Glad that you appreciate what a huge blessing they are.
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