Time spent with family. It's worth every second.
As I am preparing to move out of my parent's house I have been reflecting on family, and what exactly it means to me. And while the last couple of weeks have been aggravating and have been filled to the brim with an amount of stress I didn't even think was possible, I still love my family. My brother, my sister and my parents. They're my world, and so is my extended family.
Every year on the third week of July my maternal grandmother's family has their family reunion. It is honestly one of my favorite (and newest!) family tradition. For the past three or four years I have looked forward to this supper with my family. I remember being a kid and pitching the biggest hissy fit about going and seeing a bunch of people whose names I couldn't remember.
But now because of this family reunion I know everyone's name and I am so happy to see them.
Because they're family. They're my family. And yes, we're loud, we talk (a lot!), and we're all incredibly southern. But it's something I'm proud of because behind every old photograph lying on a table is our story, it's our family history. Behind every smile, there is a reason and most of the time it's each other. I love sitting around the table with a big plate of barbecue and talking to my god parents and catching up with my favorite great uncle. I love playing with the newest members of our family and looking out at the lake with my sister. The time seems to fly quickly and when it's time to go I find that I don't want to, like a piece of my heart stays with all of them.
Our families can get on our nerves sometimes, they're family it's kind of their job to do that. But it's also our jobs to remain close with them and rebuild the bridges that have been bruised. It's our job to laugh and grow together, become stronger together. A part of me wants to live in my parent's house forever, stay in Birmingham, AL forever. But the other 90% of me knows that I need to get out and explore the rest of the world. But no matter where I go, I'm not going to forget my roots and I certainly am going to keep the third weekend in July booked on my calendar for years to come.
