We are Family

Here we are...31 (I'm taking the picture) members of the Graves clan. Frankly, this was a dismal showing at our annual family Christmas party. There were quite a few who didn't even show up. Some had good reasons for not being there. Others did not. Either way, it was good to see everyone. Still, being with the family reminded me of how much things have changed. My young cousins, the ones I used to chase around the house at family get-togethers, are now in their teens. I was floored when I heard that one of my cousins was "with her boyfriend." Boyfriend? Isn't she too young for that? Actually, no...she's not. I can see their faces changing...as they get get older. They look like adults now. I'm sure people saw those same changes in me as I grew up. It's strange to see them myself. I was also reminded of how this big family has never really been the same since its matriarch died. Grandma Rosie was the glue. She'd be 86 if she were alive today. But it's been 15 years since she's been gone. I was 13 when she died. Her little, non-descript, blue house on Salt Lake City's west side was the epicenter of our family. I have so many memories from that house...not the least of which surround holiday family gatherings. Things have definitely changed since she's been gone. We've all pulled back a little. There's not as much closeness as there once was. It's sad. It's also inevitable in many ways. As a big family grows larger, more and more members move to the periphery. It certainly doesn't help when some people move away (myself obviously included).

But we're all still smiling in the picture above. I think we're all genuinely happy to see each other. It's not like we hate each other (most of the time). Things have just changed a little. That's okay though. We all know we're family and there is genuine warmth in the hugs we give each other.

The moral of the story: savor all your family time. Things will change before you know it.