Sister

OVERWHELMED WITH THE LOVE OF FAMILY

I am overwhelmed with family love….a good kind of overwhelmed though, the kind that makes you smile. The past couple months, I have realized how much our family has grown and how much we have matured. Family isn’t always all smiles and cheer like seen in most photographs. Family is also about hardships, disagreements, loss and failures. But family is also about Love, forgiveness, grace and humility…these all can surpass any of those not so good qualities. It’s a good reflection of what God is to us, because he too, is our family..and love and forgiveness can overcome a lot. My family, like many others have had their ups and downs.. The downs being quite low. But these past couple of months I have seen how much we have grown. How amazing it is to forgive and let go…and how ahead it puts us in any relationship. We still have room for improvement, we still bicker and disagree at times, but we wouldn’t be human if we did not. I guess we are realizing that all we got at times is each-other. That it’s better to be at peace with each other than to be in any silly little disagreement. We are learning to let things go.

The past couple of months we have made it a priority to speak more and be more involved in each others days and lives. It wasn’t a talked thing but I think we’ve all realized how nice it is to be involved in each others lives. With my brothers this is a prime example. We have leaned on each other for help without expecting anything in return. My brother joe lend himself to us during our engagement party a couple of months back and it meant so much to us because he did it out of his own will and want. Thank you joe!

With my brother Chris it’s been special.. We have gone through a lot together… But we are learning to lean on each other when in need and when we want to share good things and that makes me so happy. We have talks with meaning and purpose, and we learned to listen to each other. Most importantly, I think we realized we have each other at the end of the day, no matter the circumstance. It’s been so nice to spend time with him on days off and share moments and build memories with him and his girlfriend Alexis, Xavier and I. The sweetness of it all is that we have come to see we are not just brothers and sisters, we are each others friends as well.

With my parents the relationships have also changed, and I think it has to do a lot with our age. Once we were kids, stubborn and thought we knew it all, yet they always had our best interest at hand and heart. We are growing and one thing I have learned now that I’m older is the unconditional love they give me, even when they disagree. We have had many uneasy moments in the past, but God has been good and we have overcome them all. Our relationship is stronger than ever, they are my best friends. They care for my heart more than any other physical human being and for that I am grateful.

My sister we all know is one that is dear to my heart, and I think she’s a reminder to our whole family of the joy we can find in the little things. She’s also a quick reminder of how different we all are and how differently we all have grown up. She brings us smiles and laughs only a child can and sends us “I love you’s and I miss you’s ‘” when we need them the most. While she may be strong-minded, she reminds me of how important it is to stand our ground, yet love with all our hearts.

The love recently has been one that even though we don’t talk about it on a daily basis and maybe my parents nor my brothers and sisters see. As I sat back to think and just take all the struggles we have gone through and all the memories in the past we hold dear to, they all just seemed to amaze me. We are growing as a family, and I really think it’s for the best. One thing I am so thankful for is that we all are here and live close to each other and that even though we don’t live under the same roof, were only a phone call away or a 10 min drive away. I’ve learned that while we are not a perfect family, we ARE a family and that’s good for me.

We have more family members being added like my fiancé Xavier and my brothers girlfriend and its so lovely to see how much we are a part of each others lives thus far. I know we have more to learn from each other and more to experience together, but so far its makes my heart warm. My family as whole is growing, and though some are far away, or I haven’t talked to in a while, I love them all because Ive learned something from each and every one of them. Today you were all in my thoughts, and today I am grateful for all those I call my family.

Jen<3

ON RAINY SUMMER DAYS

Hello all! Why many think that summer in Florida only consist of pure sunshine, tanning and soaking up sun at the beach.. well think again! Lets include, rain, rain, umbrellas and indoor activities to the Florida Summer days List. Don’t get me wrong, we do for sure have those typical sunshine state days. But this summer we’ve experienced many many rainy days full of thunder and lightning! So what do I do on a rainy summer day while my honey is off at work and I’m not? Simple.. Spend some time with my momma and little sister Sofia(which you’ve read about in my previous post.) We decided to get out of the house and headed over to the mall near my apartment. We simply enjoyed time together talking, walking, window shopping, laughing together and filling our bellies with some yummy food! Luckily for us and well mostly Sofia lol, there is a carousel in the mall. My mom and I always enjoy watching her smiles as the carousel goes around and makes its way to where we are sitting waiting for her. We admire her bravery too. To many people, it’s simply a kid friendly ride that goes around and around. Frankly mom and I don’t do “around and around” very well! We consider the carousel a ride for the brave and strong at stomach!! Yikes! I don’t even like to think about it! Nonetheless, it was great to have some girl time and enjoy the little things. Like Sofia’s smile that’s so humble at heart. I guess rainy days can’t get better than that! Don’t you all wish you were a little kid again to have no worries.. and have the simple ride of a carousel brighten up your rainy day? I DO!

Happy Thursday everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your day.. whether rainy or sunny! =)

REMINISCING ON SISTERLY LOVE

Meet Sofia. She is one of the loves in my life, and life without her would not be the same. She was an unexpected little human being, that I believe has only brought us joy and laughs. And most importantly, she has brought me a love that I never knew of. She is my SISTER. While we may be 18 years apart, she is my best friend. She is the light to many of our days, and I know that I not only speak for myself, but for many in our family. While at times, we still have your typical sister relationship, the kind that bothers each other and plays pranks on each other, she is my sister and she is a big joy of mine. Lately, I have been really missing her. I’ve been working so much that I haven’t been able to spend some quality time with her. I’ve found myself looking through some pictures of her on my phone and some saved videos on my laptop. She really just brings a smile to my face. Sometimes, she is your typical little 6-year-old, developing some sort of individual character with this little diva personality and frankly, sometimes I want to just tell her to PUT IT AWAY! lol. But then I think about it, and I find it so remarkably incredible that the little girl who was born 6 years ago, is now this strong, sweet, goofy, brave and straight forward little person. She is the opposite of what I was when I was her age, I was shy and not brave and definitely did not speak my mind. And now that I am 24 and the opposite of what I was when I was younger, I seem to think her and I have more in common now, even being 18 years apart. What I find most incredible, is that 18 years ago, I did not want another sibling, I thought it would be too strange to have such a young sibling and I thought it would take away time from our family. Selfish, I know. But now, 18 years later I take back all those thoughts, because, she has done the opposite. It is not strange to have such a young sibling, if anything it has taught me so much about life, to enjoy and cherish all the little moments and to see the good in the bad. And she most definitely did not take away from our family, she added a love and happiness that we all need in our lives, even when life seems to be too tough. The more I reminisce, about her and our relationship the more I cannot wait till the next time I see her. Our bond is inseparable, and a bond that I hold so dear to my heart. I wouldn’t have it any other way, even when she throws her little 6-year-old tantrums! lol. If it wasn’t for her, I would have not known what it feels like to have a sister. I only hope that I will be an example for her through out her life, a support system, a friend to laugh with and a best friend to share her heart with. I hope this for both my siblings. I know that I’m not perfect, but we also get to learn from imperfect people.. So lets hope she’ll still want me around when she’s on a date or going to prom! (wishful thinking I know lol). For now, I will sit back and share my sister and a BLESSING with you all! Meet SOFIA.