What I Love {2}

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family:

Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

-Jane Howard-

Here's another installment of what I love about my life right now- always make me feel better to think of all the wonderful things I have! Today I'm thinking about how lucky I am to have such a loving, entertaining, and accepting family. We live all over Canada- my parents on the east coast in Nova Scotia, my big brother and his family in Saskatchewan, my younger sister in Alberta with her new husband, and my little sis out here on Vancouver Island. My mom's family (four sisters and all of their families!) are all over America, from San Francisco to New Orleans to New Jersey and New York, and then some. We are your typical North American long distance family- something I wish could change- either in the prices of airfares, or in the invention of instant travel like on Star Trek. I love getting all of us together, but miss that it doesn't happen more often. It's hard to encourage communication amongst all of our busy lives, but we do try with email and phone calls and letters. Maybe we can set up a blog?!

My mom was a stay at home mom until my youngest sister was 8. It was such a treat having her there for us, even if it was hard for her sometimes. She went through her own growth while I was young, doing self-help groups and whatnot, and has come out much stronger and with a better understanding of herself. She has always encouraged us to look within and not be afraid to be who we want to be. She's gone on to become a successful career counselor, getting to help people improve their lives everyday. She's always an inspiration to me and has been so good to all of us, including my dad. They still cuddle on the couch when they watch tv and have always been affectionate in front of us- it's instilled a strong sense of what a successful marriage means to me.

My dad is quiet and caring, with tendencies to worry - where I got it from I'm sure. But he always means well. He's been a teacher and coach at the same private school for over 35 years, and his whole life has been about his kids- either us or his students. That school is very very lucky to have him, even though they don't seem to recognize it often enough. My love of sport and learning comes from him. And I hope I can be as committed a parent as both of mine.

My older brother always faces life head on, with determination and strength. He's become a teacher as well and is a wonderful, loving dad who is very committed to his family. His has given us the gift of his wonderful wife and three beautiful, happy, healthy, and hilarious children! I can't get enough of them. He used to bug me a lot when I was little, but I've come to see how hard it must have been to be the only boy and the oldest in our house.

My younger sister has been blessed not only with the brains of the family, but also the determination to do something with them- she's a chemical engineer, working for Shell and hopefully changing the world. She's always handled things with a quiet dignity and strong determination to succeed without anyone else's help. Sometimes I wish I could get inside her head and see exactly what is going on in there! I wear my life and my emotions on my sleeve, she's the total opposite, which can cause issues, but we're learning who were are as adults and enjoying it!

My littlest sis is the fire cracker in the family. She's the one who's not afraid to get angry out loud or say what she wants- something I still jealous of. She has many 'youngest sibling' tendencies that can drive the rest of us mad, but they also give her her character. She too works very hard for what she wants and isn't afraid to take chances, even though she might look at it from every angle first and needs to talk it through- I'm the same way.

We are all similar in are love of being active, being determined, being recognized for our gifts, and for being close with each other despite our differences that we're still overcoming. I hope I get to spend more time with my grown up siblings over time, and be part of their growing families. I'm so glad I'm not an only child. (no offense to anyone who is, of course!)

I love that I can pick up the phone and call any of them whenever I need something, or just a supportive voice on the other end. I love that they love my R, that they have welcomed him into the family with open arms. I love that we got the chance to be together last summer for six weeks, to celebrate my little sis' wedding. I love that when I decided to go off traveling after uni (and the other times as well) no one questioned me or poo-poohed the idea- they just said "how can we help make it happen?". I love that they accept me completely and just want to see me happy, no matter what. I want the same for them, everyday. This is making me really miss them!
(Wow, my posts always end up being so long! Guess I have a lot to say! Thanks for reading!)