My family is pretty amazing. We all live in different parts of the country, yet we still try to be there for each other when it counts and even just to give each other a little well needed shit talk; like when your hated football team, which happens to be your brother's favorite, wins the Superbowl.
I'd say I consider myself lucky, but I know that there are tons of families that are much closer than ours. But we do have one constant: Our mother. She's not only the leader of our family and the glue that ties us together, but she is the voice of reason and reassurance when times get tough and we all need a little piece of home. She has proven time and time again, that she will sacrifice for us, and I hope she always knows how appreciated that really is.
Moving to Tennessee, so far, has not felt like the best decision of my life, but I keep moving forward because I know that my mom is proud of my decision and that she keeps the faith for me, even when I get down on myself about the progress of things. From having my place broken into, to working at a job that I don't exactly love, my mom is there to tell me to keep going and that everything happens for a reason.
My brother that lives in Florida had a rough patch for the start of 2015. His place was broken into and a lot of stuff was stolen, but on top of that, both his partners and his car were stolen. To say the least, it was not the New Years start that they were looking to have. But his friends, who have also become his family, came together to help them out and give them a start at a new normal in their new home. Sometimes it takes a lot of shit to realize the light at the end of the tunnel. My brother is like George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, he wants so much to change his hometown, but he's got so much wealth from the love of his family and friends. He will never be pour.
My oldest brother that lives in Vermont has amazed me time and time again. We've been talking more now that he's in the world of the iPhone. I like getting to know the man he has become since he left home at eighteen. The fact that he has become such an amazing, hands on guy, that has so much knowledge and skill about how to fix things and do things around the house, without having someone ever teach him the way, just makes me feel so proud. He says he had no choice. But he did. He could have chosen to wallow in the fact that he didn't have a man to look up to in his life, but instead, he chose to be a better man. He found a woman who loves him and understands him, and as I've said to him, hopefully life will get easier, but he has a wife to hold at the end of the night when times feel too tough to handle. He is blessed. Sometimes the shitty things in life are the things that make you stronger and make you want more than the status quo.
My brothers have turned out to be pretty amazing men. If you asked me in my early years what I thought of them, I probably would have told you that I hated them. But hey, they were throwing gum in my hair and jumping off the "top turnbuckle" to attack me. There wasn't much I loved about them as a kid. They still give me shit. They still pick on me. They still treat me like their little sister. But I know that they love me now, it just took me awhile to realize it. I'm still mom's favorite.
