We Are Family

On Saturday I took a mini road trip with 2 of my girls to Raleigh, NC to celebrate a fellow Virgo's birthday. The venue was HOT, if you are ever in Raleigh make sure you check out Solas on Glenwood. There was so much excitement in the air because the party was a surprise for LaToya, who is a self proclaimed private investigator, but we managed to keep it a secret! The look on her face when she was walked in and had that moment of realization was priceless! Her cousins did a great job of planning her evening and I know she'll always remember her 30th birthday as a super special one.

Seeing the effort her cousins put into her party led me to a moment of reflection-I have no close personal relationship with my cousins or any of my extended family. As I celebrate on Friday the only people that I will be surrounded by that I am related to are my parents and siblings, but I will still be surrounded by family-family that I have hand-picked over the years and that I am blessed to have. While we don't share the same bloodline or last names these are people that have loved me, cheered me on, prayed for me & supported me. I know that the type of relationship Toya has with her cousins I will never have, but the 'family' I have is just as special and I know they love me as though we used to get fussed at by grandma together. :)

While I can't change how my familial relationships turned out, I can try to make sure that my daughter has a different experience. Although I am not a part of her paternal family I try to encourage and help foster the relationship with them and I know it will be a few years before my siblings have children, but I hope that the cousins will love each other, throw parties for each other and spend time with each other. I want to encourage her to understand and appreciate the importance of family and hopefully her biological and chosen family will help me with this task. Nana always told me 'In All Things Give Thanks' I am thankful that I see how not to be so I won't continue the pattern with my daughter and I am thankful for my non-related family members that have accepted me with open arms.

Happy Birthday Toya!