Today has been a pretty lazy day for me. I slept in until 10am because I was up until 3am because of the midnight premiere of "The Avengers" (which, by the way is amazing and you should go see it right now). But even after finally dragging myself out of bed I showered and proceeded to put on yoga pants, a tank top and an oversized zip up hoodie, put on no makeup and didn't blow dry my hair. It was the epitamy of a lazy day because I spent the majority of it sitting on the couch watching TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" on Netflix.
I've been watching this show a fair amount over the last few weeks since I finished "Saved by the Bell." Often, all I can think as I watch this show is "That dress is hideous" or "How on earth could you spend that much money on a dress that you're only going to wear once?"
But most of today, the thought that has crossed my mind most often is, "I am so glad my mother/sister/whoever isn't like that."
As I watch the way that so many of these siblings and mother/daughter pairs interact I've realized how unbelievably blessed I am to have the family that I have — especially my mom and sisters.
There's three of us girls. I'm the middle of the girls. My big sister is two years older and my little sister is six years younger. We all look different — different hair color, different heights, different body types — and we all have completely different personalities.
My big sister, Christina, is incredibly headstrong. My mom used to joke that it's a good thing Christina had a mom who was just as stubborn as she is. She's a major overachiever (all of us kids are, really), an introvert, a math/science lover. She's very honest and blunt and doesn't waste words. She cuts right to the chase and tells you like it is. The majority of the time we disagree on what makes a good book or movie. Usually if I like it, she hates it and vice versa. She's really excitable and gets wound up really easily and is quite possibly the biggest planner I've ever met.
My little sister, Hannah, is very go-with-the-flow. She's the youngest of the four kids and my mom has always said she's so thankful that Hannah doesn't have a super strong personality because she couldn't handle another one after my big sister, myself, and my brother. Hannah is a major bookworm. She was reading Jane Austen at like...eight-years-old or something ridiculous like that. She tears through books like nobody's business. She's very no-fuss and likes things simple. She doesn't do boys or drama or any of the typical high school female craziness. She isn't particularly athletic, she isn't particularly musical, but she's driven and strives to do her best at everything.
I'm the drama queen of the family. I was the one who threw the temper tantrums and had absolutely no trouble letting anyone know how I felt about things. I'm the only extrovert in the family and of all my siblings, I tend to think more based on my emotions than on reason or rationale. I'm the only person in my family who stays as far away from math/science as possible. I like frill and elaborate, pretty things. I like drama and excitement.
My mom is a lot like Hannah. She's often commented on how similar the two of them are, and now Hannah is even planning on getting her bachelor's degree in the same field my mom got hers in.
But something that I'm so blessed to possess is the relationships I have with my family, especially my mom and sisters. We're superbly different personalities but we've learned how to function with our differences. Christina's finally beginning to realize how what she says can sometimes be really hurtful. I'm starting to realize that it's okay to tell her when what she says hurts or offends me. After years of Christina and me talking for her, Hannah's flourishing and finding her own personality and her own voice. And my mom is the wonderful, amazing, superwoman glue that holds us all together.
I'm not getting married any time soon. The family is completely preoccupied by planning Christina's September wedding at the moment. But I'm so grateful to know that whenever I do get married — whether it's in two years or in six, my family will be supportive. They won't try to make my wedding into their wedding. They will let me express my personality and do what I want without trying to force their opinions upon me. And we won't have to deal with any ridiculous drama because I buy a princess gown when my sister likes a mermaid better or something like that.
The Lord has blessed me so abundantly with my family. They're absolutely wonderful and I couldn't have asked for a better family for me. I am so glad that my relationships with them are strong and that years from now when myself and all of my siblings are married, we'll be able to come together as one big family without drama or tension or grudges or anything like that.
Yep. We're a super attractive family.
I'm so blessed. Blessed beyond belief.
What have you been blessed with today?