I Love my Family

© Nikolai Sorokin | Dreamstime.com

I've just spent a precious few days with my sister and her husband, who live in South Africa, with most of the rest of my family. During this time, my vision of family as the cornerstone of happiness in our lives, has been affirmed. Nothing is more important than family.

At its best, family is the home we carry inside us, a sanctuary in a challenging world. And even at its most frustrating, family still broadens our capacity for love and tolerance, pulling us (often kicking and screaming) into new levels of insight and wisdom.

Today I want to honor family love and all its extensions - brothers-in-law, half-sisters, cousins, daughters, godchildren... all of us. Because what family stands for - support, trust, loyalty, unconditional love - is what we all yearn for. Everybody needs family to count on, no matter what. Everybody needs to know there is someone who will be there for them, no matter what. Whoever that is, they are your family.

Maybe you've been meaning to call a family member to say, 'I love you,' or simply, 'I'm thinking of you.' Don't allow your busy schedule to get in the way. Don't wait until it's too late. Use this day to reach out in love, in kindness, in forgiveness. Allow yourself to receive love and kindness and forgiveness. Embrace the warmth and comfort of this most sacred of human bonds.

* Send a love note to a relative telling them how much they enrich your life.

* Call a family member and just be an attentive listener. You'll be surprised at what you may learn.

* Estranged from a relative? Make a friendly overture or express forgiveness. Don't expect anything back. The gift is in the giving.

* Use holidays to create new rituals with your family to lay down positive memories for the future.

* Plan a family reunion with everyone participating. Ask each person to make a joyful contribution in whatever way they can. Remember, 'the family is the country of the heart.' ~ Giuseppe Mazzini

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