Everybody was kung fu fighting....

Okay .. they weren't using kung fu..... I couldn't wait to visit my family with the baby. I have such great childhood memories of growing up with my aunts and uncles. Summers with my grandparents. Playing with my cousins... You would think the only difference now is that we are older....


When you return home you return to the childhood in your heart. This is beyond the present of your being. This is where those memories live. The sensations that you remember can make you dizzy and excited. You feel a sense of peace. But after my visit, I think was it real... Did we really all get along during those visits? Were the Holiday's really magical? Did we have family traditions that I loved and longed for every year? The sense of comfort that comes from predictability is unbeatable. That Uncle Mark would say grace. Uncle Danny would be drinking the dew at 8:00 am. Aunt Carol would sneak Grandma's fudge. Aunt Susie and I could swap secrets. Grandma and Grandpa would say I was the favorite. The cousins would all play together. Football, Basketball. We would all go bowling. We would all play cards. We would all over eat.


This last visit was completely different. We had to plan our trip around each family member's schedule. Some people won't talk to others. So instead of having a wonderful family visit. We had short choppy visits to accommodate everyone. There was tension. There was family gossip. Not the good gossip. Like I spiked the eggnog or grandma's new hair color has a tint of purple. Like hurtful gossip about each other. That experience was not magical... I wish we could go back to the time we all got along... I wish this for myself and my cousins. I want our children to have these memories... I wish blood was thicker than water... I wish we could call a truce... We could forgive... We could love each other... accept each other... welcome each other... open our homes... open our hearts...open our minds...

That was the message I got growing up... That is what the adults conveyed. Have we gone away from our values?

Well, I have not. I will continue the traditions with my family... if the rest of the family wants to tag... all are welcome... and I mean all... at the same time...I welcome fudge stealing, mountain dew drinking, card cheating... bowling...over eating... anytime