Family is everything

“Family is everything” they say. And I have to say it really is!

My wife and I both had strong family upbringing’s. Perhaps we did not realise it at the time but we have passed that family culture onto our own children without the “generation gap” issues we had to navigate with our own parents in the 60’s and 70’s. The closeness with have with our children and their friends is very special. We also see strong bonds between our children and “the cousins” across all the sibling families. It’s wonderful to witness.

That love was also very much on display when our eldest got married last year. Four family clans (American, French, English and Scottish) gathered in numbers and felt the blended family vibe :) That was a very cool day.

When my parents passed some years ago, I worried about how the surviving siblings would react and cope. You hear so many stories of families breaking up and fighting over material things, or long standing grievances coming to the surface when the parents are gone. We had some of those things to deal with for sure but got through it all out of a desire to not let those things get in the way of our love for each other. Now we are stronger than ever, regularly in contact and still meeting up for big multi-generational family gatherings.

Indeed a new generation is following in our footsteps. Our first grandchild recently arrived and our nieces and nephews are also bringing new ones into the world. The circle of life continues and we are all once again jumping in to provide family love and support. It’s such a joy to experience and participate in.

But “families” are not just about blood relations. They are also about the groups, networks and individual friendships you have strong bonds with. Indeed we are all the better for the love our families, in whatever form they come, bring to us.

Cherish them and stay close. You will live longer for it :)