My birthday is coming up this month. This past weekend, one of my sisters and two of her sons came to visit me. It was a last minute decision road trip and I was excited to hear they were coming.
A few details pertinent to the story. I live 350 miles away from the rest of my family. That includes my mom, sisters, their families and kids and my brother. They all live in the same general area, no more than 30 minutes apart from each other. I decided 12 years ago that I belonged in a different area, and proceeded to replant myself in coastal North Carolina. If you have read any of my past entries, you know I have recently suffered from heart problems. That being said, on with the story.
So, Friday I got on one of the social websites I use, and my sister chatted me and said, "find me prices on a motel room for the weekend, I am coming down". Oh, okay! I go tell my boyfriend and he looks around the living room and says "we have some cleaning to do". Yes we did. I had let the house get a little messy this past week. So we straighten up the house, and waited for their arrival.
My sister wanted to take me out to dinner for my birthday that is coming up in two weeks, and she told me to decide where I wanted to go. After thinking on it, I could think of nothing better than going to dinner in my own back yard. So we got all the provisions from the store, and proceeded to cookout.
My boyfriend got the fire started in the firepit and my sister and I grilled. The fire was going beautifully and the weather was great. Food was wonderful and I had the best time I have had in a very long time!! My nephews enjoyed helping with the fire. (It's okay, they are 21 and 17 years old.) We sat outside for over three hours, enjoying the breeze, the fire, the company, the food. And oh yeah, the home made sangria.
It is moments like this where the atmosphere is perfect, if only for a split second, that my defenses go down and I begin to think. I do miss my family, I wish I could see them more often. I need to make the effort to see them more often. Don't get me wrong, its not that we don't communicate. I talk to one of my family members at least daily and most of them once a week. Ahh, the beauty of internet chatting and unlimited long distance phone service.
Life is short. Remember that sometimes the little things are the most important. Love, live and laugh every day. Pet a child and kiss an animal. Ohh, maybe that should be the other way around. Ha! Ha!
