The Blessing of Family

This weekend I left my husband and son to be with parts of my family that I don't get to see very often. It was my intention to spend most of the weekend with some family that shares no blood lines with me. They are expecting a baby and I wanted a chance to see them and help them out a little. I remember that last month of pregnancy and I was hoping I could help them out by offering another set of hands to get everyday tasks accomplished. Friday was busy but good and Saturday started out great until I started to get a terrible headache followed by some nausea that ended up with me throwing up at my friends' house. So there I am, laying down on the 3 year-old's bed trying not to throw up again and my dear friend who has been taking care of his wife and two little kids - the one person who's load I was trying to lighten - was taking care of me, too.

I did make it back to my aunt's house for the rest of the day and she replaced my friend as my caretaker. She cooked me food that I barely ate and kept me company during the few minutes that I could stay up-right without feeling sick. By 10pm something changed and I started feeling much better.

By the morning I was still moving slowly but my nausea and headache were completely gone. My friends had loaned me their car so I needed to drop it back at their house and then my aunt and I were going to visit some more extended family for the afternoon. We visited my grandmother who doesn't remember me or her daughter anymore. It's been quite a few years since the last time I visited her and she looks great for 92, mostly because of the way she smiles. My great aunt (the woman I'm named after) lives in the same community so we got a chance to visit a little with her before we headed to my other aunt's house for my family's version of "Sunday supper". For as long as I can remember, my dad's family (at least the family that still lives in the Los Angeles area) gathers at my aunt's house after mass on Sunday. I have 16 first cousins on that side of the family. Since I'm one of the younger cousins, you might be able to put together that most of my cousins are married and/or have a few kids of their own.

It's always a wonderful treat to join this Sunday supper. I don't even see these people once a year and they treat me like I've been there every week. My cousins' kids include me in the goodbye ritual where they give all the adults a kiss goodbye. I get to hear about the latest news at the church they attend and in between interruptions I try to give them an update on my parents and sisters. I love it! I love the craziness that ensues as my cousins and the 7 kids they have with them try to get out the door so the kids can go swim at a different house. After they all said goodbye I think it was a good 20 minutes before they actually left.

As derailed as my original plans were this weekend, I got a chance to experience my family (blood related or not) in a very full way. I am so grateful for these grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins that show me what being part of a family is all about.