This past weekend several of my cousins, my brother and sisters and I all joined together at the domain of one cousin. We barbecued, swam and spent a lot of time talking and catching up. Later that night my brother, sisters and I spent the night at my older sister’s residence; it was the first time in a long time that the four of us spent the night under the same roof. It was great meeting with and talking with family! I hope that we are able to do this more often.

Yesterday I stopped in to visit with the mother of a long time friend of mine. I have been meaning to call her and see how she is doing, but since I was actually in the area I figured that it was better to speak with her in person. She was SURPRISED to see me. It was great! She and I sat and spoke for about two and half or three hours. We talked about the time that we travelled to Nicaragua together as well as how we were raised and all sort of different topics. She is a wonderful lady who is full of love and knowledge and who I call “Mom”, even though she is not my biological mother.

After leaving “Mom”, I drove onto the house of a couple who are good friends of mine. They were not home as they were at the local National League team’s stadium, watching the home team win one. I made myself at home, fed their dog and watched some of the Olympics. When they returned we sat around their pool watching their “princess”, their dog, swim. This is where I have been for the past two days, working and relaxing.

I am so grateful for my family, both extended and paternal! It really is what makes life so wonderful! We are all related one way or another, so we should always find and walk with love.