Mixed Bag of Loved Nuts

Coming off a vacation in the mountains with the FAMILY, (and we are not just talking about the ones I birthed but grandparents, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, firsts and seconds, maybe even a once removed or by marriage FAMILY), always gives births to a mental therapy session. I happened to be driving in the car with my niece as the “SESSION WAS IN PROCESS” and I said to her, ” You just have to take the good and the bad with a big family, it’s a mixed bag of NUTS.” And her response was, “I feel a blog coming on!” Yes, Olivia I NEED TO BLOG or maybe write a screenplay!

I always leave a week like this with a smorgasbord of things to ponder, after all we are a tribe. And even though we share blood or mothers and fathers we are a tribe of made up of many different personalities, gifts, talents, tastes and definitely different points of view!

It is wonderful to watch the grand kids of this tribe do a dance and look at the others they haven’t seen in a year to size them up. Who’s the lead dog this year of the Grands? There is always a pecking order. The younger ones just want to be part of the older ones, that is until the older ones are in their 60’s. The middles, those of us in our 40’s and now parents ourselves, find it odd to be parents all year long to turn around and find ourselves trying to be parented again. What’s up with that? I guess on weeks like this we are the tweeners, don’t know if we are grownups or the kids? The answer is both.

Every summer we all come together a year older, carrying with us what the past year has presented us. The good the bad, the difficult and joyful, the successes and failures…….the ever changing and aging. We play, drink, laugh, eat, catch up, share secrets, hopes, fears, disappointments and dreams. We try to retain our youth by tubing, water skiing, climbing mountains, playing too many sets of tennis and feel the “year older” the next day. Inevitably, with so many of us, we get rubbed the wrong way by a few, but hugged the right way by all. We talk old times and hope for more healthy blessed time. But the one emotion that always prevails in my mental therapy sessions is that no matter what, when the tribe comes together we know we are loved. Even with differing tastes, views and thinking we are one. We are a strong tribe, a delicious bag of mixed nuts and we are blessed to be a part of it.

Thanks Olivia I did need to BLOG, Session out!