Family Matters

My good friend Rosie told me once that as I grew older I would start to have less friends but more meaningful relationships.  I looked at her like she was a nut bag.  (To be fair she is a nut bag but I really like nuts).  I have always been a social butterfly, put me in a public place of 50 people and I probably know 30 of them, some better than others of course.  But I have to admit as time has gone by Rosie's prediction has been proven to be true.  Although I am a big believer in make new friends but keep the old, a person only has so much time in their day, their life for that matter, and I have realized, by the not so subtle encouragement by my boyfriend, that I am also supposed to make time for myself, something I am very very bad at doing.

As I realize that I have made a home in the community here in Nashville, my friendships are becoming more meaningful.  For the first time in my life I shy away, to some extent, to making new friends, and I find myself to be more selective.  A new friendship feels a bit exhausting now and unless I have some major commonalities or characteristics I can relate to with the new individual I think I am starting to want to stick with what I've got.  I feel the need to protect my time like never before.  I want to reserve it for those I want to be with the most.  I think in terms of quality instead of quantity like never before.  Especially within my romantic relationship.

Family, I am realizing more now than ever, is where I want to be so much of the time.  With the arrival of my niece, Elizabeth Claire, so much of the world looks sunnier and bright.  I want to be there for her.  I want to see her smiles, giggles, and even tears.  She is the best dancer I know.  When I look at her I don't just look, I gaze.  I knew she was going to be something special to me but the magnitude of my feelings for her were completely unexpected.  She has also done so much for our family in bringing it closer.  We all have something in common to celebrate and it is her.  God has shown me his love so much more through her arrival than just about any event in my life.  I am forever grateful.

I learn a lot more from my family now than I did before.  My Aunt Melody is an incredible inspiration.  If you want to know how just read THIS.  Vote for her if you feel inspired.  You will be making the lives of many many people better in doing so, as she has.  Many other people in my family inspire me everyday and if I wrote about all of them it would be a book.  All I can say is I will never understand why God chose to bless me in this way, to put me amongst such special people, but I am so unbelievably grateful that he did.

Life is a series of scenes, colors that whisk by so fast the past seems blurry.  I wish I could hold on sometimes just to take a look around.  I try to do that, breath deep, breath it all in, hold onto the memory like it was tangible.  Experiences are the name of the game my friend.  Who knew one of my favorites would be at a one year old's birthday party.  God blesses you when you least expect it.