Family Ties

“The memories we make with our family is everything.” -Candice Cameron Bure

Family is so important for many reasons.  They are the people who are connected to us by blood, by heart, by souls. They know our history, our faults, and great qualities and more.  They know who we are, the good bad and the ugly.  They fill the spaces and cracks within us with love and belonging.  Because we all need to feel like we belong, like we matter. Because we do.

And this past weekend I was reminded by just how much love, acceptance, and belonging is out there. I spent the weekend with my cousins, at the beach, just the three of us girls. We grew up together, though they are older than I. I was the flower girl at one of their weddings, and one was there when my beautiful mother passed. They have always been wonderful to me, and my parents.

And to me, it was a reminder of how much love truly surrounds me in this life.  Family can be by blood or friendships, and these ladies are ones I am blessed to have in my life. They are people who I would want to know even if we were not related.

there are people in our lives who reminds us of who we are, who we want to be, of our values and dreams and life. They inspire us deep down in our soul. And their existence in our lives makes all the difference, because it is with them that we matter and belong. They make us laugh and are our tribe.

Life is short. Spend time with those who love you, whether in your life by blood or choice. Because we all need a tribe. We all need that unconditional love of those who know us well. And those are they ties of family.