Get your priorities straight.
I've heard that line a lot. Mostly in movies to irresponsible characters and sometimes to myself. Over the past couple of months a thought has been very much on the fore front of my mind.
Family.
I am thankful for my family. Because we're crazy. Because we don't get along perfectly. Because we know how to irritate each other in the least amount of time possible. And yet, we love each other. I don't know how or why we love each other, but somehow we do.
In my family, I'm the oldest child - the guinea pig, the test drive child, the one that the parents learned on. I had 18 lovely years at home in the security of the family nest. I had 16 years with my sister where we lived under the same roof and only 13 years with my brother. I adore these kiddos.
My mom - she drives me crazy (yep, she'll probably see this). We're very alike; yet, we're not. She speaks her mind always (a blunt honesty that makes me cringe, but i'm also slightly jealous of). My mother has a servant's heart - that is how she chooses to love on people. My mother is a solution-finder. My mom is the one who carries home-made bread to the neighbors - not on a yearly basis, but more on a weekly basis. She's a good steward of the things that she's been given.
My dad - he's a quiet soul, but there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. We're also very alike; yet, different. After all, I'm a girl and he's a guy. Growing up, people commented on how much I looked like him (except that i was a girl). My dad has the gift of encouragement. He uses words. He uses hugs. He uses music (did i mention that he recently decided to relearn guitar?). I have never doubted his love for me or his belief in my ability to succeed. He's steadfast.
My sister - another quiet soul with a charismatic creativity. She's the type that walks into department stores, eyes up the clothing, returns home, and creates the desired item (why didn't I get that ability?!). She's a listener. She's sweet in an innocent and loving way. I like to say that she's my built-in best friend (on a side note, when we were youngsters, we rarely fought. But when we did, it was fast and furious).
My brother - a technical friendly genius who likes to help people. My brother has befriended a good handful of elderly neighbors and is aiding them with their computer abilities. Never have I met such a boy with such a heart to serve other people. He's always been a smiley person with an eagerness to please others. Although he leaves me in the dust with his technical talk sometimes, he definitely is a help to have around when one can't figure out the TV, DVD, and Dish (seriously, tech-savvy brothers should be a part of the package for these things).
I am thankful for my family.
It's so easy to take the things right in front of you for granted. It's easy to see everything bad about these people who live so close to your own life. It's so easy to complain about what we don't have or what we do have. But, can you practice thankfulness even when you don't feel like being thankful? Life moves quickly. So be thankful.
What kind of awesome family do you have?
