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Bringing It Home – The Saint Rose Blog

The Meaning of Family

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and, more importantly,
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!!!!!! 

In case you couldn’t tell, this is my favorite time of year. I’ve made posts in the past about how much I love this time of year (I even made a post about creative gift ideas), but this time I wanted to focus on something that we can all relate to – family. No matter what religion you practice (or no religion at all, which is totally cool), you cannot deny how wonderful it is to celebrate your family. And, in my honest opinion, that’s what this season is all about – celebrating family.

My mom standing over our delicious Thanksgiving Dinner! Photo Credit to Genevieve Diller.

My mom standing over our delicious Thanksgiving Dinner! Photo Credit to Genevieve Diller.

In this modern day and age, there are many types of families out there. There are some nuclear families that are completely traditional – a mom, a dad, and the child(ren). But, more often than not, you’ll see broken or non-conventional families. These families are more unique and can come in many varities. Personally, I have a “broken” family – my parents are divorced, my Dad remarried, and he and his wife/my stepmom, Jeanne, live in Connecticut. I live on Long Island with my Mom and two cats, Bella and Charlie.  I am so blessed to have the parents that I do, because they handled the divorce with grace and in a mature manner. Their experience is what the definition of what an amicable divorce should be, and they are a great example to parents everywhere (not that I’m biased or anything).

Holidays, in general, are a crazy time for everyone; there is so much planning that needs to be done, coordinating plans with others, buying gifts, etc. But, on that magical holiday (whatever you celebrate), it all seems to come together. Why? Because of your family. Your family (for the most part, I’m staying general here), through thick and thin, always manages to bring everything together and remembersto celebrate the one thing that is most important- each other.

My Res Life family in all of our Zone 1 Glory! Photo Credit to Matthew Ramirez.

My Res Life family in all of our Zone 1 Glory! Photo Credit to Matthew Ramirez.

I’ve mostly spoken about my nuclear family (aka your immediate family, i.e. Mom, Dad, Siblings). However, there’s more to a family than just those in your home – there are uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, AKA your extended family. Unfortunately, I am not very close with my extended family. For some reason, we never seemed to click. I am quite close with my grandparents on my Mom’s side, but they live  in Florida. I have no relationship with the vast majority of my cousins, and the ones I do speak with I see on rare occasions. I have no siblings, causing me to mostly rely on myself. This isn’t a bad thing; it’s just made me see things from a different perspective.

These ladies have been such great friends through thick and thin! I am so lucky to have them in my life! Photo credit to Genevieve Diller.

These ladies have been such great friends through thick and thin! I am so lucky to have them in my life! Photo credit to Genevieve Diller.

The one thing I’ve always focused on as a blessing during this time of year is this – the fact that I get to choose my family. I have made my own little family (with my Mom) at my church, in my neighborhood, and, most importantly, at Saint Rose. The friends I’ve made at Saint Rose have become my family, and I am so grateful to have them. The best part about this system is not only do I add people to my family, but the fact that those people, in return, accept me and love me unconditionally. That is more touching than words could ever describe in a blog post. That’s why I love this time of year so much – I get to show my loved ones at Saint Rose how much I appreciate them and how much they really mean to me.

My little babies! I am so lucky to have them be a part of my little family! Photo Credit to Genevieve Diller

My little babies! I am so lucky to have them be a part of my little family! Photo Credit to Genevieve Diller

At this current point in my life, my nuclear family is small. However, the quality of my family exceeds anything that additional numbers could bring. I love my family to death, and I am so grateful to be able to share the holidays with them.

Thank you to everyone at Saint Rose – in the Music Department, the Res Life staff, and to those closest to my heart – for making me a part of your family. You have truly made my life more blessed.

Best Wishes!

 

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