Christmas in February
I didn’t get to see most of my family this past Christmas, as I decided to visit my brother and his family in Manitoba instead. While that visit was wonderful, I did miss seeing my Mom and Sisters and the rest of the nieces and nephews. So I decided to go down to Barrie for this whole new Family Day holiday. Cheesy name, great idea. A long weekend in February is never a bad thing.
Anyway, I brought my friend Olga with me this time. I thought she could stand some down time, as well as some general boring family-esque time. It’s always interesting to bring family and friends together, because while they both know you so well, they know very different parts of you, and you play different roles with each of them. I was glad to bring Olga with me because she’s my oldest friend. I was glad for one of my friends to see “where I come from”, and how my family interacts and all that.
Plus it’s good to get an outsider’s perspective. It’s only in the last 2 or 3 years that I’ve truly come to realize how great my family actually is. I’ve spent many years being resentful of being the youngest, feeling abandoned, dealing with some of the stuff that happened in childhood, and while none of that stuff has necessarily gone away, I certainly have had my eyes opened. I’ve seen how other people interact with their families — and frankly, they generally don’t, or at least not on any real or intimate level.
I’m glad we’re not like that.