Thank Heavens for Good Family

On Thursday, my lovely sister, Suzan, is venturing off to Europe for four months to volunteer with an organization called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). She will be working in Italy, Ireland and Spain on organic farms by harvesting crops, planting and just plain getting dirty. She did this last year for several months in Ecuador and is now venturing back to Europe after a six-month stint there two years ago. I am so proud of my sister for all the work that she does for others and how selfless and giving her spirit is. Yet, I really don't want her to leave.


As teenager and young adult, we were at each other's throats. I would go steal her clothes in her room, she'd just go through my stuff to see what she could find, we'd yell, we'd bicker and we wouldn't let up. Now...many years later...next to my husband, she's my greatest confidant in this world. After the babies were born, she took a leave from her job to come nanny for them full time when I went back to work. She is always willing to help out with them when we are in a bind or in the mood for a night on the town. Most importantly, she "loves the poo out of those babies" (as she would say), and they know it. 


I've been very anxious these last few days in anticipation of her leaving and I'm really dreading Thursday when she gets on the plane. This has given me a lot of perspective on how important good family is and how blessed I am to have such great companions in my life. Outside of my sister, my mom also can't get enough of the babes and would go to the end of the Earth for them. Again, they know this because they show her that they love her. So, the big message here today is to never forget how blessed you are to have a great family. After all, one day they may up and move to farm!