A Different Gift

Last Sunday I decided the kids and I needed to get out of the house for a while so I called my
brother to see if I could stop by and pick up my two nieces, then off to the park we went.
No toys, no snacks, no plan, nothing to entertain them besides the great outdoors and each other.

As I sat off to the side while they were rehearsing for a play they wanted to do for me, I listened to them together and thought to
myself that this, right here, is one of the greatest gifts I can be giving them.
Cousins, family, playmates and friends for life.
This is so important to me, for them to have what I had/have, to give the this opportunity to
have these relationships that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
My cousins are some of my best friends. I am so thankful for my extended family and cannot
imagine how my life would be without them.

It is easy, really easy, to look at what others have, where they live,  what they are able to do or
what their lives look like and feel that you have less...or that you are giving your kids less.
And I don't necessarily mean material things, because that is just not something that concerns me
personally, but living in beautiful cities and states, near the oceans and mountains... in another
country living a life that one could only dream of.....

And I don't necessarily love where we live, It's not beautiful.
I mean it can be, one can find something beautiful anywhere and everywhere, but you know what
I mean.
But that's where we are right now, we are here.
Near cousins and second-cousins and grandparents and our families.
And maybe one day there will be a different place for us.....an adventure....and maybe not.
So in the mean time, I know we are exactly where we should be and I am grateful to be near our families.
And these gifts we are giving our kids now, I hope they always know that this is one of the most important things they will
ever have in their lives.
Ever.

Happy Friday, y'all.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Ours started early, no school, for us today ... so it's a long weekend for us!
Guess who I get to meet tomorrow?
Megan from Contented Sparrow... along with a couple of IG friends, too.
I am super excited and a little nervous, I am a bit shy in real life ; )
But still really excited.