I’m sorry that we don’t spend more time together.
I’m even more sorry that you don’t understand why.
It has nothing do to with you and everything to do with you.
Traveling and the factors that follow, such as missing work are expensive. It’s not always easy for me to make the trip home to visit family. Sometimes it is by choice to skip events because of the cost of traveling home. Sometimes it’s because I don’t want to deal with the hassle. I won’t apologize for moving away and following my dream, and I won't apologize for loving my new city.
I don’t regret leaving my hometown, but I do regret that I miss out on family events; baby cousin’s birthdays, Sunday trips to the winery, and holiday gatherings. I wish we were closer as a family.
But I know that life happens and as we grow older, it will only prove as more of a challenge to spend time together. The cousins I grew up with are now married with children of their own, with their own careers and families that take priority. And yet somehow it seems as if I am the only one responsible for maintaining family relationships. I want you all to realize that having any type of relationship with someone is a two-way street and I can’t be the only one to blame. I will admit that I could make more of an effort to communicate and keep in touch, but so could you.
Where were you on one of the most important days of my life? Where were you when I accomplished something only one other person in our entire family has done? I worked hard for years to accomplish my goals and none of you could make the time to support me. Yet when I miss a cousin’s birthday party, I’m forced into feeling guilty. I wish I could be there, but I wish you understood what it would of meant to me to have you in the stands as I walked across the stage.
I want you all to know how much I love you. I cherish the time we get together, and know that those few and far between events mean that much more. I hope that during the next big event in my life or yours, there will be nothing preventing us from celebrating together.
