Celebramos Juntos La Vida

It is currently six am, and I have been awake for three hours. The story of why is not important, but the thoughts in my mind are.

Family is such a loaded word, for good and bad. It comes in many forms, biological or otherwise, and evolves throughout our lifetime. As someone who has two dads (the latest of whom would dispute the term but has more than earned the title) and a dad-like figure who I'm only not including in the aforementioned list because he would probably choke on his Christmas brandy, I know that family doesn't always mean blood. Family is the role that people play, the commitment they make.

Family is usually there from the moment you are born, cheering you on from near or afar. Maybe they came into the picture later, maybe they don't cheer.  They all have their foibles, their funny little ways, and maybe you love it, or maybe it drives you crazy. Maybe you want to call them everyday, maybe once a week, maybe once a year. Maybe you live down the road from them, maybe you live 3,500 miles away. Whatever your situation is I bet you're sat here thinking of people, and I want you to take a moment to appreciate who they are and what they do.

Of course families are not perfect, mine sometimes cause me to despair. But when I think of previous spats had with family members, it all seems so trivial, so meaningless, in the big picture. We are so lucky to have a warm house, our health, and each other.

This Christmas I feel like I appreciate more than ever the importance of life and loved ones. You never know when either will be cruelly snatched from you, and I feel that today I want to stop and say thank you for all that they have done for me.

Today I want to celebrate together, life.