Circle of Family

All the family is gone, decorations have been put away, and festivities are over (Well except for football and the Olympics… those always seem to play a huge role in our society, but anyways… the actual “holiday season” is over). Life has hopefully slowed down a tiny bit so you possibly have had the chance to catch up with yourself. Holidays sometimes hit us like a tornado, and you enjoy them, but it gets crazy. I know for me I don’t always have time to reflect, think, or appreciate the people around me as much as I want to in the moment. I focus on what needs to get done or the event or the next thing. Hence this blog, I want to take a moment to reflect.

I want to take a little time to do a post holiday reflection about the people I have around me. I want to think about my family, friends, and the people that have been a part of the person I am today. If holidays are not an easy time for you, it may easy to think about the possible dysfunction of your family, or the sadness of a loss, or the hard relationships. But I want you to flip that on its head and find good in each person and situation as you think back. The people in our life all play a role in affecting life around us or the person we are. The blessings can be so so big. But also, the hard moments can be so tough.  But each hard moment has the possibility to be a pivotal step towards growing or changing. It also has the potential to be an eye opening experience to see things differently.

So try to see each person in your life as a blessing. Whether it is family, friends, adopted family, or new acquaintances, picture that person in a positive way.  Thank them for the love they have given you.  And if they haven’t given you love, thank them for showing you how you don’t want to do things so you can live differently. Some things of our families have been passed down that we don’t exactly like. It is easy to see those things and pick it all apart. But I am trying to do a positive reflection. So Let’s look deeper and see the goodness of family, the blessing of love, and the way people have cared about us. If it isn’t your immediate family you are thinking of, you have probably been blessed with other people in your life to function in that role. You know how you want to be loved, blessed, and appreciated.  Treat others the same way. And show them. Thank them. And take the time to reach out or say something. Don’t let it go unsaid or undone. Act in love and make a difference. Take the reflection to a deeper level of gratitude. If that leads you to do something hard, trust that goodness can come out of it. If it leads you to a deeper relationship, a transformation is worth the intentional effort.

We all live in this circle of life.  So reflect on the circle of family that is around you. See how it has formed and affected the person you are today. And use that to spur yourself and others on to love and goodness.

Take some time to reflect on the people around you.