Family Matters

Last year I graduated with my Bachelor's degree, and so many loving family members came to support me.

Although not everyone I care about was able to make it, this is a pretty good representation of the people who have changed my life for the better:

In fact, the entire graduation experience was very much a microcosm of my life.

Everyone arrived at different times, all bringing their own spirits into the mix. All representing, in their own way, a part of who I am- reflecting and resonating a communal love that brightened and magnified the light within each individual.

Alone, I am nothing. But with my family, I am everything.

I don't believe a stronger bond than the family exists.

Whether bonded by blood, choice, or experience, family is the most resilient unit life could create.

Divorce, addiction, hateful actions, poor choices, abuse, and much more seem to tear apart the very fabrics of this divinely appointed system and have definitely created deep divides within my own.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, we love fiercely and are fiercely loyal.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Rarely have I seen a family that fits into the box of what society might label as functional, normal, or traditional.

But often have I seen familial love heal deep wounds, stitch up large gashes, and construct bridges where no one else dare build.

So, to my family:

I couldn't ask for a better team with which to experience the vicissitudes of life. Who I am today is the result of who you all have been and are becoming.

My life: the product of many risks you were willing to take and patterns you were willing to break.