Ohana

What makes you tick? What makes you get up in the morning?

 Me? Family!We have been very blessed in this category. Many siblings means lots of cousins, aunts and uncles for my kids. This leads to big gatherings, fun, noise, food, games and hopefully laughter. On a daily basis this means support, prayers said in silence and out loud for all of them and us. Oh we have our disagreements and struggles just like any family. But at the end of the day we would walk through fire for each other. We are there to be a shoulder to cry on, vent and just sit with. Building these memories no person can take. They can alter how we may see life at times or how we respond to situations. But all of these memories are ours for keeps. 

March 2016

Christmas 2016 ( only a small part of us)

I am praying this helps to get my children through the rough patches life is 

dishing out right now. Knowing they have relationships built on love, 

respect and those memories to think about when it seems so dark.

We are a big board game family. A very competitive family. Which 

can at times mean such choas. But the laughter and conversation 

that comes from that time is the best.

Over the years we have found the best times on the road. Turn up the music,

talk, sing, and when we get to our destination have no set plans just explore.

We have found some of the best places by googling where we are at and driving.

I find myself going to these memories of game nights till the wee hours of the night over 

Christmas break, road trips and the laughter coming from my kids.

Maybe one day this will be what they take from this time not the reality of watching

fear and sadness take over a siblings life. To feel you have to be strong when 

you are only 16, 18, 20, 21, or 23 because you can't let the one who has 

been hurt see you struggle. Watching my kids walk into the hospital with their

sibling to support them even though you could see the overwhelming feeling 

of the unknown in their faces. But all they knew was they needed to be there. They needed

to protect each other.

"Ohana, means family, noone gets left behind." This is what I was told by my youngest

after the world seemed to collapse for everyone. 

So 2017 here we come to deal with it arm and arm to deal with whatever comes our way. 

With support of family and God we will survive this.