- Spend as much time as possible enjoying your friends and family.
- When taking the initiative to bring family together, use your creativity to make family events fun.
- Accept each and every one of your family members unconditionally. Learn from them.
- Document good times with family. Take pictures. Paint Easter eggs. Write down funny quotes.
- Add value to the lives of everyone you know.
- Help people move.
- Remind everyone of the best in the others who aren’t there.
- When you get married, bask in the variety of the two family cultures and the uniqueness of the merged culture.
- Be a gracious host. Open your home to all family and friends at all times.
- Give lots of hugs. Hugs feel good.
Your Dad’s Lesson:
I just assumed my friends and family would always be there — you know, kind of like how the TV just sits in the corner and waits for you to flip the channel. Not so. People change, move, and pass. The connection to all the wonderful people in my life didn’t blossom until sometime after your mom and I met. Your mom, Grammy, Aunt Bette, and Aunt Sandee taught me much of what I know about family — not by telling me, but by showing me how passionate they were about each and every family member. To continually remind all of us just how lucky we were to have each other, your Grampy would document our get-togethers with pictures and cartoons, and your cousin Lindsey would grab funny quotes out of the air. Through continual observation of this rock-solid support and engagement, I came to understand the significance of enjoying and embracing all the people in my life each and every day.
