The value of Family

Today I went to dinner with my cousin. We didn't talk about anything serious just ate some delicious sushi and caught up.

yes I like to post pictures of food

  Catching up with my cousin outside of a family function reminded me of the importance of family. Now, I'm not talking about just blood family but those people that are such a huge part of your life that you consider family. My family taught me from an early age that family is not just about blood but people who you love. At Holiday times my mother always has an open table to anyone who needs a place for the holidays. She taught me that no one should be alone and without a family. I'm lucky to have my blood family, my best friend family, my ANTIC family, my sorority family and my extended non-blood family created by my parents. Not many people can say they have that much family in life. Each family fits a different need but the one thing I can count on is that they are always there when I need them. It's cliche but true that family comes in all different shapes and sizes and so on.

So where does family fit in with the great search to find yourself? They are there to be your support, to make you laugh, to knock some sense into you, to give you advice, to be your sounding board. Your family, whoever they are going to give you the tough love you need to keep yourself from letting the struggle and the fight win. My "family" has been there many times to save me from my worst enemy, myself. My blood family has been there to give me the tough love, my best friend family to knock sense into me and just listen to me vent, my ANTIC theater family has been there to make me laugh, and my sorority family has been there to do stupid fun things with and get advice. My families remind me I am never alone, that I don't have to fight by myself. To others out there reading this don't ever be afraid to turn to your "family". No matter who you consider family, if you have deemed them worthy of that title then you should never hesitate to call them when you are in need or just need an ear.

 I know I'm sometimes afraid to reach out to people because I don't want to be a burden with my problems, but when I do reach out it feels so much better then trying to deal with it alone. I have a voice of reason that helps me gain perspective and stops me from beating myself up about all the little things I do wrong. I deal better with all my issues when I choose to let someone in because an outside voice almost always can reach the voice inside me trying to hit the self destruct button. It's never easy to ask for help or reach out to someone, even family, but when you do there is an immediate relief in the action itself.

So take a second of your day and reach out to a member of your "family". Go to dinner, talk on the phone, grab a coffee, whatever. I guarantee that the small action of just talking about nothing with someone you love will make your day a little brighter and give yourself a little more strength to keep fighting to find who you are.