I moved from Houston, Texas, to Denver, Colorado, the summer I turned 12 years old. Even though I took a six year break from 18-23 in Oklahoma City, Colorado always felt more like home than Texas ever did.
Just this past week I went on one of mine and my mother's 20-24 hour road trips from Grand Junction, Colorado, to Santa Fe, Texas, to visit my family. I am not sure if it is because I am much older, and have had some life experiences since moving from the state, but I forgot how precious strong familial relationships are; how needed the bonds that extended families provide are.
I am kind of the opposite of my family, besides the fact that we are all super loud and love to vocalize our opinions to the world. While the majority of my extended family loves agriculture and raising farm animals for their heavy involvement in 4H, I prefer to stay inside in the air conditioning reading books about the hippie era and binge watching Chelsea Handler shows. This trip, however, reminded of what makes [my] extended family so beneficial to my own personal growth.
The most important provision that my dear grandparents provide our family is a home base. Growing up so close to the multitude of cousins I have in Santa Fe meant after church suppers every Sunday at Mimi and Papa's (or Porkchop to some of the great grandchildren). We'd all gather around for corn casserole, our aunt's delicious mashed potatoes (that could stop traffic if I'm being completely honest) and play time in what was then called "The Play Room" while the moms all gathered around the dinner table to pass around the sales in the Sunday paper.
My family taught me the importance of being together, and always having each other's back no matter how bad things may get for one another.
When my grandfather passed away five years ago, it felt like my world came tumbling down. Of course some drama ensued, but when your family's rock passes on, it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. But my grandfather taught us all perseverance, love and strength; he taught us the importance of being there for one another even if we don't necessarily want to.
He taught us the importance of family. He may have been our rock, but he taught us that in order to roll, we need a strong faith-filled foundation. He taught us to love the Lord, and then love one another, because if we have the love of Jesus in our hearts, everything else will fall into place.
Even though he is gone, our family keeps him alive for not just our precious Mimi, but as a reminder of the importance of sticking together. No matter who or what tries to cause our familial relationships to fall apart, we will always be there for each other. No matter the distance, no matter the drama.
My family taught me true love.
