Is blood is thicker than water?
It is your blood, you don’t turn your back on family because blood is thicker than water. I grew up listening to that phrase. It used to be that family secrets were hidden behind closed doors and sealed lips. There was an unwritten law that you don’t make waves or you will find yourself without a life raft, (and yes, there are Cubans in the family, but they did not come to the states in a boat). Some of us dared to question, dared to want more. Why? Because something deep inside was telling us that there was more to life than loving them because they were part of the family unit.
Do I love my family? Yes, but I don’t have to like them; I don’t have to accept inappropriate behavior or give up my values to accommodate theirs. Being family doesn’t excuse you from being compassionate nor does it give you the right to treat people disrespectfully.
Take the family part out and ask yourself “would I accept this behavior from a stranger?” Probably not, but you do not risk losing someone’s love when it is a stranger you are confronting, but think, do they really love you when they are treating you like that? Why do we pull out the forgiveness card when it comes to family? Words are so powerful yet you can not find them when a family member is at the other end, and that leaves you powerless.
I certainly don’t have all the answers, I wish I did, it would make my life easier. But I know that now I’m not afraid to ask for more, not afraid to expect more because I know I deserve more. I know that the fear of losing the love of your family hurts but I also know it hurts less than living a lie.
The baggage you do not unpack from your family of origin is the same baggage your children will carry around with them for the rest of their lives.
You only get one shot at this life. God doesn’t give a “next breath guarantee”. Think carefully about what you want to fill this moment with.
Sometimes family is the hand of a friend, the smile of a neighbor, don’t forget that.
You can love your family but ultimately the greatest love has to be to yourself. If you love yourself you will ask to be treated with respect and dignity.
Words are communication, the base of interaction. Words are the building blocks of relationships, the cement that holds everything together.
No wonder my house has been falling down.
Do I love my family? Yes, but I don’t have to like them; I don’t have to accept inappropriate behavior or give up my values to accommodate theirs. Being family doesn’t excuse you from being compassionate nor does it give you the right to treat people disrespectfully.
Take the family part out and ask yourself “would I accept this behavior from a stranger?” Probably not, but you do not risk losing someone’s love when it is a stranger you are confronting, but think, do they really love you when they are treating you like that? Why do we pull out the forgiveness card when it comes to family? Words are so powerful yet you can not find them when a family member is at the other end, and that leaves you powerless.
I certainly don’t have all the answers, I wish I did, it would make my life easier. But I know that now I’m not afraid to ask for more, not afraid to expect more because I know I deserve more. I know that the fear of losing the love of your family hurts but I also know it hurts less than living a lie.
The baggage you do not unpack from your family of origin is the same baggage your children will carry around with them for the rest of their lives.
You only get one shot at this life. God doesn’t give a “next breath guarantee”. Think carefully about what you want to fill this moment with.
Sometimes family is the hand of a friend, the smile of a neighbor, don’t forget that.
You can love your family but ultimately the greatest love has to be to yourself. If you love yourself you will ask to be treated with respect and dignity.
Words are communication, the base of interaction. Words are the building blocks of relationships, the cement that holds everything together.
No wonder my house has been falling down.
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