Friday 8 December 2017

Family


The popular definition for a family is that of two parents and their children who live together as one unit or descendants of a common blood line. Yes traditionally that's what family is, but I believe that the definition has evolved and now means more than that. A family does not necessarily involve persons who share the same blood line but also encompasses those persons embraced through friendships, communities and even at church. Some friends are even closer than one's actual family and become family by nature. In other situations I came across, I realized that not everyone is born in a supportive family ,whilst some lost their family members along the way thus they made decisions to choose friends whom they adopted as real family. Quite interesting isn't it?!

Families can be difficult, frustrating, loving and wonderful. We can love and hate them but nothing beats the love one gets from a family. Families are the biggest influencers of our personalities, fears, dreams, emotions and character . Through my and some of my friends' family experiences, the major common denominator is that what families go through,  either good or bad, shapes ones' character and views on how they deal with individual life situations and decisions.



Family is a significant entity and that’s why it is always difficult for people who don't belong to a family to discover their true self. Families will lay down their lives to lift up their own, sacrifice their time for each other and see each other through difficult times. So questions one might ask themselves is, 'Do I have such a family? What is my contribution to my family ? Am I always there for my family?

I will give an example of the human body, if the leg gets hurt, the mouth responds in pain and the hands do not know what to hold in response to the pain coming from the leg. Just like in families, when one is down it affects the whole family tree and they feel and share the same feelings with their loved ones. When they smile you smile, they cry and you cry.

Though family is beautiful there is need for communication and respect to  keep it together and functional. In between those busy schedules one should always take time to communicate with their family members, greet them once in a while with out being driven by a need or problem, just check up on them if all is in place. At times the people we call family can love you so much not to burden you and keep their issues to themselves, but it is always important to remind family how much they mean to us and that we will always be there for them no matter what.

Love is the bond that holds family together, you do not have to buy gifts to prove it. Time spent with them is more priceless. As we approach this festive season let's continue to bring warmth and love within our families and communities. As the year ends, let's celebrate the love we have for our families and everything we been through throughout the year , looking forward to a brighter new year. Let's celebrate our families no matter how you define family and who your family is, family is family.