Three Little Chickens: A Small Blog About Family

I've been wanting to write a blog about family of late, but I haven't really had much inspiration to do so. The last few weeks my outlook on family has changed enormously.  Maybe it's because I'm getting 'older' and 'wiser'.... maybe I'm just learning to not take things personally..... or maybe I'm just starting to mentally ingest what matters rather than the poisons that surround it.

But there were two small moments yesterday and this morning that really made me reflect on how I approach my own family. My mum gave my daughter three small fluffy ornament chickens last night.  Tayla was so excited to receive these chickens that she gave each one a name (Emma, Alice and Sam) and carried them EVERYWHERE. They even slept in the bed with us (we literally made room for them.)! This morning we headed for a short walk to Mum's place to visit her again and Tayla had dropped one of the chickens in the house somewhere and didn't realise.  It was only in getting ready to walk over that she realised and got really upset.  She did not want to leave the house until we had found this chicken! I kept telling her not to worry about it and we'll look later, but she got really upset and was determined to find it!  We looked everywhere for it and when we finally found it in the spare room, she picked it up, gave it a cuddle and reunited it with the other two chickens.

In what seems like such a small scenario in the scene of things, it really spoke to me about the importance of family and how we really need to look after the ones we have.  Crazy I know that a bunch of discount store fluffy chickens can give me this significant revelation, but in a sense it's the message that is instilled within the situation surrounding it. 

Ultimately.... when it comes to the crunch..... FAMILY is important.  We need and crave that sense of family unity to keep grounded.  As mothers and fathers we have that paternal instinct to love and protect our children.  As siblings, despite having the instinct to fight over the last piece of cake, we would still fight for them if they were down and out.  As Aunties and Uncles, we would love our nieces and nephews like they were our own children. 

It's so easy to get caught up in what's going on in-front of us that we forget to look to what keeps us together and real.  When a family member gets lost in their own chaos, there's always someone that wants to searches for and protect them..... even when the others have lost all hope. Family isn't just the group where the positive memories happen!  The positive memories are the things you reflect on to make the challenges worth it.  The challenging moments test the true strength of your family unit.  It's how every member approaches those challenging moments that determines the long-term result. A truly loving family unit isn't perfect or comes easy. It's a mixed investment of love, compromise and hard work.

I admit I have fallen into the trap of allowing the negative issues within my own family dictate how I approach my family unit.  In a small way, I'm guilty of not making enough effort because it seems easier to just not be involved.  The last few weeks the importance of my own family and the time I invest has really become a thought.  It's about looking past all the issues, negativity and dramas and looking to them with love.  They are my blood and although we don't 100% share the same values, I was still made out of love and raised under their roof with much love.  I want to honour that commitment they made to me and honour that commitment to my child through example! When I ultimately create an extended family beyond myself and Tayla, I want to look to it with love and overcome that challenges with great strength!

So take the time to tell your family you love them.  Send them a message, write a letter or card, send them flowers, skype them, give them a cuddle.... do what you have to do.  It might not seem like or come across as much, but the knowledge that you're thinking of and love them is the most important part!