Bye — I love you…

Recently I said to a friend, “I am so lucky to have my family.”

I keep waiting for the sun the shine, literally and figuratively. We have had a long spring with little light. I wake up each morning with my daughter and I think… Will the sun shine today? I spend days driving, walking in a daze, envisioning myself on my knees, surrendering and praying.  Recently I was reminded that even when it storms daily, the sun WILL shine.

A ray of light appears every day in my home, and it’s my niece, Emily. This past year, she has been working with me. I have always known she is special. She has a way of connecting with all ages. We flow through our day working, laughing, and sometimes crying. Joking when we stop to do a puzzle or drink our chlorophyll that we are sure Google isn’t like the WC. In all of our moments at home with our craziness, and more recent struggles, Emily brings joy, love, and laughter without judgement. She is truly a gift. Every day when she leaves the office we say, “Bye — I love you.”

I realize my good fortune expands beyond, when my brother, Willy (Emily’s father), calls me and we exchange a quiet conversation, catching up on the small moments in our lives, with unspoken words exchanged, that we are there for each other.
Bye — I love you.

And it grows… As my sister Wendy returns from being away, after daily texts telling me how much she loves me and is thinking of me.  She gently holds me up, and listens.
Bye — I love you.

My sister Darby, who is moving closer to ‘home’, calls to say I love you and she thinks my daughter Liv and she should take boxing classes together. She always makes me smile and feel held.
Bye — I love you.

My parents… My mother has Parkinson’s, and yet when checking my messages the other day, she had called me 20 times (not exaggerating) just to say she loves me. My dad calls daily to ask what he can do to help.

I remember when my husband and I were first dating and he would hear me hang up with a family member, “Bye — I love you,” he would ask why I said that every time, and I would reply, shocked, “We never hang up without saying I love you.” I have trained him.

This weekend, on a beautiful Saturday when the sun did shine, I smiled to myself as my four children gathered and quietly supported their youngest sister, not without a few family moments, but I didn’t care, because we were together and the sun was shining.

When we are in crisis, we recognize our support, and for me, that’s my family.

I love you more.

XO Charlotte