Surrounded by Love’s

Family – there’s nothing that is really like it. They can either be your biggest allies, or your most painful heartbreakers.

While my family is certainly not perfect, I can’t imagine life without them. Today was one of those days where I felt so incredibly blessed to have these three special people in my life.

I said goodbye to my cat today. I sat outside in the freezing cold in my p.j.’s, tears streaming down my face as I spent a few last moments with her. I think she must have sensed something was wrong, because she stayed by my side for quite a while. As ridiculous as it sounds to be grieving so much over the loss of an animal, it hit me really hard. I’ve always know it would, it’s just a little hard to believe that she is now gone.

I sat in our living room with sobs racking my body as my mom drove out of the driveway to take my kitty to the vet. My brother was in the backyard digging up the frozen ground. When my mom returned, with a small cardboard ‘casket’, my dad put her into the hole and shoveled the dirt on top.

I sat and watched while crying, but also feeling so thankful, through the pain, for this family that God has given me.

We spent the entire rest of the day together – something that is incredibly rare. We went out to lunch, spend some time at Barnes & Noble browsing through some books and sitting in the café together having coffee, and then went to go see a movie. It was a really good day, as hard as it started.

I came home, checked my email, and found a new mail message. The ranch wants me down there the beginning of March. That’s in 6 weeks! A mixture of exhilaration and panic immediately filled me as I rushed down the hall to share my news. Their reactions were a mix of encouragement and sorrow. I know they are excited about this possibility for me, but they hate to see their ‘little girl’ go… again.

Regardless that my day was such a crazy mix of emotions, I’ve realized once again that the one constant is my family. Sure, there will be many more times when we don’t see eye to eye, or we’ll get in petty little fights, but I know that they would die for me, and that’s a great realization to have. I truly felt their arms wrap around me today, literally and figuratively.