As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate my family on a much deeper level.Â
It’s not that I didn’t care or love them as a kid, but I can vividly remember a time as a teenager when they just weren’t my priority.
I was so focused on my own life, with school work, friendships, the hyperfocus on my self-appearance, my part-time job, which I felt I had basically never left, and, of course, that typical high school drama.
That’s what seemed to be the priority at the time. Truly, was I mistaken?Â
I still spent lots of time with my family and showed up for every family holiday party or birthday.Â
Although, I wasn’t being as intentional as I intended to be with my family. I showed up when expected but didn’t always try to connect or be fully engaged in the moments we shared.
At that moment, I didn’t even realize how much my own life consumed me. Â
Leaving for college was the first time I’d been away from my family for an extended period, and as a lifelong homebody, this transition brought a powerful wave of realization.Â
I began to see just how vital it is to cherish time with family because those moments are irreplaceable. It was not home I missed but the home I made out of people.Â
When life confronted us with illness, stress, grief, and tension, it only intensified the feeling within me—that spending time with family is invaluable and worth prioritizing above all.
I was truly blessed to grow up surrounded by a large, loving family, standing by one another through both the good times and the challenging ones. To take that for granted was foolish of me.Â
I’ve made a conscious effort to be fully present in every moment with my family, focusing on creating as many memories together as possible.
Spending time with my family is not an obligation in my life, it is an active choice I make. It’s where I want to be and who I want to spend time with.Â
There is nothing I look forward to more than those long talks with my nana Pam on the porch, spending summer nights on nana Sue’s porch surrounded by everyone, family breakfast each Sunday, the one-on-one time I get with each of the cousins, and becoming best friends with my siblings.Â
I couldn’t be more grateful for every one of those moments. My family is a core part of who I am; they’ve always been, and they always will be. Â
They are my built-in best friends.Â