Family

I've been having a lot of chats about family lately with - well - different parts of my family :)

Family is a big part of my life and I've come to some big conclusions about mine - I've got some uber-strong people around me. The minute I stopped trying to make everyone in my family who I wanted them to be, I was able to appreciate them for what they do bring to my life. Of course I wish that some personalities meshed a little better with mine but that's what makes family dynamics stronger - different strengths and quirks.

At the beginning of the summer, I was at a family graduation party for my oldest niece. My nephew made a comment about how all of the women in my family were judgmental and didn't like anybody (referring to some of their friends). Atop my soapbox, I explained to him that we are a protective bunch and we are also the same protective ladies who would hoist you up on our shoulders in pride and encouragement - the same ladies who would drop everything when the people we love call to say they need us. The boy who has an answer for everything suddenly didn't...

I was raised in a family where aunts (or tias) play a very big role in your life - second only to mother and before father believe it or not. I love that role. I learned a lot from mine and my hope is that my nieces and nephews can and will learn a lot from me... I definitely may not be the best cook or housekeeper or be able to spoil them with stuff but I will always be there judgment free. Lectures and opinions are a given but no judging. It's great to see how things play out with all of them ... the teenagers definitely keep me young while simultaneously making me feel super old!

My cup runneth over - spilling actually!

There are some times when I wish I could buy more memory for my brain just like for the computer or extend a day to satisfy all of the needs in front of me... and sometimes, not. The times when I do feel this way, I remind myself that if I did have those extras - I would just fill those also. Just like when you get a new computer or ipod with higher memory, you find ways to fill it before you know it. When you outgrow your house and move to a bigger one, somehow that one becomes too small quickly - can I get an Amen!? My point is, it's not about the time that we have or are given - it's about how we spend it. It's not just the tasks and to-do lists, it's also what we let in our emotional to-do list (or as I like to call it, my "wheel-house of worry"). If I let all of the crud in, soon there won't be any space for the stuff I have no business making time for - ie my homework trips to Starbucks with my son in the afternoons or walks in the mornings with friends.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Bill Cosby...

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."