Family

Since Famous Stars and Straps introduced their “Family” logo in their fall 2006 line, I have been a one woman advertisement for the company. I have the sticker on my car, keychain with my keys, 4 shirts, a belt buckle and a necklace on the way. As many other people I love the idea of letting the world know I’m all about family. But what’s amazing about my family is that we all feel that way. All of my cousins also have the shirt and when we wear it we think of each other. We all love each other and put each other first.

I have thought for a long time that my family is like no other. Besides being loud and opinionated we are extremely close. I am closer with my cousins than most of my friends. We have all grown up so close in distance and in relationships. The relationships we all have with each other is like no other. I consider my family my friends. I consider it a high honor for a friend to consider you family but I believe it is a high greater honor to consider your family member a friend. It is when your aunts are like your mom and when your Uncles step in for your dad and when cousins are brothers and sisters, it is then that you realize that family is irreplaceable. You may be able to marry into another one or call your friends family but your family, your real flesh and blood, is REAL. It’s those people you can’t dismiss when they hurt you and it is those people who would do anything for you.

This is not to say that families are perfect. Sisters fight, (boy do they fight) brothers compete, cousins drive you insane and moms will always have opinions, but your sister will always have your back, you’ll always want to kill the girl that hurts your brother, you will go after the girl that put your cousin on blast on Myspace, and as for your mom. well no one messes with your mom. And when you see your brother go to college, two cousins achieving what they want to do, one almost in high school, ones tart kindergarten and one become a starting quarterback, an overwhelming pride comes over you. This is YOUR FAMILY. And so it is YOU. They are just as proud of you as you are of them. It is family that pulls you back up when a car accident pushes you down. It is them that pull together when your grandfather dies, and is them that pulls together even tighter when your aunt passes, and it is definitely them that walk 24 hours every year in memory of the two you’ve lost.

Simply put the love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.