Family. Everyone has one and whether it's big or small, whether you like them or not, most people at some point in their lives end up at a family reunion. Reunions are typically a great time to get to talk to people you haven't seen in awhile, participate is some fun activities and eat a lot of great food, and my family reunion was no exception.
25 thoughts you have while at a family reunion:
1. How is our family so big?
2. How much farther do we have to drive?
3. So he is my mom's cousin's daughter's boyfriend?
4. Can it get any hotter?
5. There are so many names to remember.
6. Someone just told me they did not know my mom had kids.
7. A weekend doing outdoor activities in July in Kansas— where's the sunscreen?
8. That has to be the coolest slide I've ever seen.
9. Is it possible to gain five pounds in one weekend?
10. No, I'm not married.
11. You start to have staple answers for, "How's college?" and, "What's your major?"
12. There are so many babies to hold.
13. I guess it makes sense to hear, "Of course," when you tell people you want to be a teacher while you have a child on your lap.
14. Walking all day in Chacos that are too tight is not a good idea.
15. Ut oh, water balloons, a bunch of kids and my brother.
16. If I hold a baby then no one will throw a water balloon at me.
17. When someone asks you how many showers you've taken today and you have to think about it. Four I think.
18. Why did I leave my Fitbit at home this weekend? I don't think I've ever walked this much in a weekend.
19. When everyone helps the little kids get a home run and you wish they would do that for you.
20. At least you can't strike out in this game.
21. Our family reunion is not complete without a game of softball.
22. How am I so sore? I'm only a teenager?
23. When you don't know if you are an adult or a kid, you are probably a college student.
24. I actually shot a clay pigeon, hit a baseball and made it home without getting out and I got to ride a horse. My weekend is complete.
25. Best of all, I got to spend an awesome weekend with my amazing family!
While your family might be big and crazy and annoying at times, spending time with them reminds you how much you love them. Surviving snoring relatives, hot weather, millions of pictures and a very sore body is a small price to pay for knowing you have an amazing family who loves you. God places each of us in the exact family we need and while they can push your buttons like no one else can, frustrate you all the time and tease you mercilessly, they are there when you need them the most. I want to end with this poem by Glenda Campbell. My mom has it in a frame at our house and although it's a little cheesy, it is very true of my family:
"There's a special kind of closeness
that only families know,
That begins with childhood trust
and deepens as you grow.
There's a special kind of happiness
in sharing little things,
The laughter, smiles, and quiet talks
that daily living brings.
There's a special kind of comfort
in knowing your family's there,
To back you up, to cheer you up
to understand and care.
Of all the treasures life may bring,
your family means the most,
And whether near or far apart,
That love will hold you close."
God created families and I'm sure glad he did!