MY FAMILIA
I haven’t written since August, which is in part due to my lack of motivation and inspiration. I tend to get my inspiration by things I read but what I am writing here is more of my thoughts and less of what I have read.
It’s hard to believe that December is next week, the holiday season is already in full swing with Thanksgiving already behind and Christmas just a few weeks away. The holidays always tend to stress me out. I spend more time worrying about all the things I have to do and less time actually sitting back and enjoying where it is I am. I try- but it’s difficult. This is life, right?
What I do like about the holidays, aside from the wine, and all the cheese plates I devour, is the time spent with those I love and care about. Makes all the running around I do worthwhile when I get to my destination. And for however long I am at my destination I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing I am in the company of people that I not only love, respect, accept and admire but whom also love, respect, accept and admire me back.
All of those people are my family.
Family is tricky. We all come from somewhere- so we all have one. My family is separated, as many others are…mine is no exception. My mom and dad immigrated to the USA had my brother and I- laid down roots and so Maryland became my home. My other home, is in Venezuela, where some of my family still remains. Going to visit, albeit not impossible, isn’t recommended and so it’s been several years- 5+ to be exact, that I have been able to see them. We Facetime, instant message, have social media, and keep in contact as much as we possibly can, but we are a separated family, and will continue to physically be separated for the foreseeable future.
Separated or not we still have our issues- there is drama, discontent, strife, judgments, and opinions. People aren’t perfect and so that means that neither are families. There is also love and the understanding that even though we might not all get along or always see eye-to-eye you never stop being family.
But family isn’t limited to just those that are blood related. Along the way, I have had other families, other people; open their hearts and their homes making me feel part of their family. This has happened throughout the course of my life. Many of those families are very much still a part of my present life in some way shape or form. It is something I have always held in high regard. You open your home, your life, and your family to me, however big, however small, however complicated that is not to be taken for granted. EVER.
It’s because people have opened their homes, their hearts, and their lives to me that I believe I have been given a real life lesson in what compassion looks and feels like. I look around at the world we live in - with the word “divided” constantly being thrown around and wonder how much of the “divisiveness” is due to the lack of compassion we have and show for others.
What if we were all a bit more receptive at opening our minds, and our hearts to other people’s experiences, misgivings, opinions, and circumstances without any judgment? You might not gain a new “family” member but you might make an ever-lasting connection or at least have an engaging meaningful conversation. And why not have that?
I often feel that a lot of what goes on now is just people trying to convince one another that one person is right and the other wrong. I see this not just in our “divisive” politics but also in every day conversation. We all have a story to tell and those stories make us who we are. If we could only be more open to hearing those stories, accepting, respectful and kind maybe we could start to close the gap in some of our divisiveness. At the very least maybe we could learn something new about someone else and in turn about ourselves. Maybe, just maybe…you could gain not just a new friend, a new family member, but a new perspective…a new experience to fall back on. A new connection.
So as we inch closer to Christmas and New Years and I continue to run around trying to get to all my engagements the focus is on family. The blood related, the honorary members and the ones I have yet to meet. Life is much more complete when you have love, family and of course laughter!
Happy Holidays to everyone!
