Family

I've always had a good-sized family. Growing up with 3 different parents and all their family, you learn how to manage Christmas between 5 different houses and "sets" of people. Over the years I've grown closer with some people in my related family, and grown further from others. I haven't spoken to my sister since Christmas, which might seem weird, unless you really know me. I've gone months and months without speaking to her, and not because we don't get along or just because she's my stepsister (because she has been since I was 4). Anyways, it's a long story and the whole point is that it makes me sad; maybe God will redeem that relationship sometime...I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime the real reason I'm blogging tonight is to write about my Nav family (specifically my SALT and Koininia peeps :)). I've felt connected to the Navs since my freshman year spring semester, and I've been on the leadership team this entire past year. Living with my best friends from ASU and this year being neighbors with even more Nav people has only cemented the familial feelings. Today SALT went hiking in Sedona and it poured- literally, I was soaked. It was cold and uncomfortable at first and not at all what I'd been planning on, but as we walked and hiked and journeyed through the red rocks and the dripping trees I got some sweet time talking to Liz. I feel so safe and happy sharing with my family here- something that I don't feel even at home very often. Then after awhile, at some point of our humorous adventure, I overheard someone say something along the lines of: "it's okay to make fun of him, we're family!" I laughed and then let that sink in more, felt it ring true and become familiar with what I know about family. My family back home is loving, nosy, always wanting to be together for every holiday and birthday, always aware of what's going on with each other. We poke fun and tease, play pranks and antagonize one another, but ultimately know that we will only allow this from relatives.
My family in Arizona has become my safe haven. They are my closest friends, the ones I go to for grace, knowledge, wisdom, joy, encouragement, companionship, and accountability. We joke and tease and prank each other, we spend nights watching bad movies and there's always someone to call or reach out to when you're lonely or bored. I get called out and challenged to grow and think and feel, and when I screw up or feel like I'm going to, there is not one person in this family that I wouldn't trust to care enough to listen and speak truth to me. Most secular families don't show this type or level of commitment or selflessness, and I count myself unfathomably blessed to be one of the lucky ones.
I will miss this family more than I know yet, but the beauty of family is that it never goes away. Distance is only as far as technology these days, and a car or plane ride is nothing. I feel loved like crazy when my family gets passionate about me leaving, but I realized today that no one needs to worry about it, myself included. Families grow and shrink in size and depth of relationships, but I guarantee that after graduation when I talk to someone from this family- whether they're in AZ or CA, they will talk back. Texts, emails, facebook messages, twitter...what's a little distance? It's all relative anyways :)
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