Birthdays and Bonding

This coming weekend my mom will be celebrating her 84th birthday. For the last 4 years, we have been celebrating that day with a little “girl” time. Today was that day, and we went to a nearby town to have either our fingernails or our toenails done.

The group pictured above consists of my mom, my aunt, two sisters, one sister-in-law, and myself. When we started out doing this four years ago we never realized it would become a tradition…but it has…and it is a wonderful tradition.

We all live within 20 miles of each other, but for some reason do not seem to get together nearly as often as we should. It is good that there are special days to celebrate so that events like these happen.

At this particular outing we caught up with news about a nephew who is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, learned that a couple pregnant nieces are doing good, a bridal shower was planned and the state of the world (especially our little niche of it) was discussed.

We also added food and nail polish to the mix of fun. My aunt hosted us for lunch, we had our nails done (with design for me of course!), and finished our day off with a snack at the ice cream capitol of the world…Well’s Blue Bunny in LeMars. (where the photo was taken by a very nice bystander).

There is something about gathering with the women in your family that is so very special. There is always lots of reminiscing, lots of catching up on each other’s families, lots of laughter, some eye-rolling over various stories, and generally a great time.

I am finding out that gathering with my family is essential. They hold me accountable, they love me unconditionally, they are always there for me and they make the word mentor come to mind.

I know that if I have anything going on in my life, joyful or otherwise, these are the women I can count on to watch my back. They will laugh with me, (and at me!), they will cry with me and they will pray with and for me. They are a true gift and a blessing.

My prayer is that they all know how very much they mean to me. My prayer also is that each of you has someone like this in your life. Someone who can bless you and who you can bless in return.

Take some time this weekend to connect with those family members that you haven’t spoken with in a while. Reminisce about the things that bond you together. Share your hopes for the future. It will be time well-spent and you will never regret having spent that time together. I am still grinning thinking about our bonding time!

The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches,
but to reveal to him his own.
Benjamin Disraeli

Family is a lot of things;
it’s an anchor in stormy waters and
a blessing throughout the journey.
Sometimes rocky,
but always beautiful,
the relationships shared between family members are
the perfectly imperfect depiction of unconditional love.
Unknown