Family

I was listening to something this morning that asked the question, "What do you really want?" At first, I thought of so many material things: I want my own house; I want to go on a cruise; I want a new wardrobe; I want a fat bank account; I want a full-time job, for pity's sake; I want ... I want ... I want ...

But then the speaker asked that we go a little deeper and think about how the possessions that we want reflect a deeper desire. And so I did. And here is what I came up with:

I want a house that is large enough for a growing brood. I want it to be able to contain my kids and their spouses and my grandchildren comfortably within its walls. I want it to be on a little acreage so there is room for children to run and yell and chase and do children things. I want it to have a shop for Roy so that he has a place to tinker and fix and dream.

I want to go on a cruise with my kids because my time is waning. My girls are skirting the edges of adulthood and soon will embark on their own lives that are separate from mine. I want a week of pure relaxation and talking and joy that is completely our own, filled with pampering and "Did you see that?" and laughter and amazing food that I didn't have to cook and exploring and all things incredible. We've always been on a tight budget and never had the luxury of vacationing for a week with pure abandon. (I know that's selfish; seriously--so many many many in this world don't have enough to eat, much less have a vacation. But we're dreaming here so...) So before the girls are married and gone, I would love one last week of just us.

I want a full-time job so that I can alleviate some stress from my children's financial lives. And...so I can fulfill some of my own dreams.

And when I went a little deeper, I realized that the common denominator in my "wants" is, for the most part, family. I am so blessed to have the family that I have--both immediate and extended. I raised in a family where family was important; it was everything. I had the privilege of growing up with my grandparents living close by. My children had the blessing of growing up with aunts and uncles and cousins visiting on a regular basis. The Oklahoma countryside is a common denominator for all of us, and I am just so thankful for that.

This morning I watched a video that Savana posted on Facebook where Angelina Jole talked about how fortunate she is to have the blessings that she does when so many don't have food. She talked about the love and importance of family. Her words resonated deeply within my heart as this woman who is most likely a billionaire--whose face is familiar to probably most everyone  on this planet--talked about that thread of life that knits us all together and makes us not that different afterall.

So this little venture of exploring my wants? It made me realize how very blessed I am. I don't have all the material possessions that I want, I suppose--though I certainly have more than enough. But I am surrounded by people that I love. My family? We are our own brand of quirky and devoted and dysfunctional and funny. Sometimes we fight and annoy each other; sometimes we are filled to the brim with love and adulation; sometimes we just exist. But each of them--from my nephews and nieces and parents and sisters and brother-in-law and children and husband--is my own. And I wouldn't trade a single one. Not for the world.

Well, most of the time.