Family

I went on vacation this weekend to a wedding on the east coast.  My aunt was getting married, and it was an excellent opportunity to see my family out there again, especially since I hadn’t seen them since I moved last July.  My whole family was there, with the exception of an uncle, his wife and their two children.  Since the details are too long-winded to be aired in a public arena such as this, I will just say that there has been a falling out with that branch of the family because the wife is a heinous bitch and her daughter has decided to follow closely in her footsteps.

Anyway, it was the first time I had seen my parents and one of my sisters since January.  For being such a large, Catholic group, we are very close.  I talk to my parents often, and my sisters, for all of our fighting, bickering and what-not, are the closest friends I have.  My family in NJ, my Mom’s family, is an odd group, and it can certainly be said that my sisters and parents, as the “weird relations from California” don’t really fit in.  But when it comes down to it, we are always there for each other and (with the exception of the uncle I no longer care to acknowledge as such) love each other dearly and would go to bat for each other in a heartbeat.  And we have. 

All of this really brought out the importance of family in my eyes.  I was talking to one of Mom’s cousins at the wedding and later, my Uncle and I were talking about how important family is to the cousin.  And I realized how truly important family is (and should be) to everyone in the family.  I mean, it’s not often that people are willing to unselfishly shell out ~$500 (or more) a person to attend a wedding in another state (for my parents, a state clear across the country).  But my family is, and while it may seem like I’m bragging or something, I think I just want to make a point.  I have a rule: there are two events in a family member’s life you just don’t miss – weddings and funerals.  These two not only celebrate huge events in a person’s life (also two of the sacraments, if you want to think about it that way), but they also help a family, especially one as large as mine, get together when it would have otherwise been impossible. 

You see, friends are like water.  They come and go, ebb and flow.  I am sad to say that I don’t keep in touch with many of the people I thought I would keep in touch with over the years.  But family is like the rock beneath your feet.  They may shift over time, and move with the forces of the earth, but they are always there, standing firm against the ravages of time.  Your family is, and should be, your lifeline.  I’ve moved many times in the past few years, but I know that no matter where I go, or what I do, my family will support me. 

Many of you out there may be thinking to yourselves, well, my family is awful, and my friends are my family.  I am sure that is the case for a lot of you.  But you still have that familial structure.  You have created a family out of your friends, and you call them family even though they are not blood related.  So the same thing applies. 

All I want to say is that you should hold onto that with both hands.  There isn’t much else that should be more important than your family.