Yesterday I visited a friend and showed her the photos from my recent trip. Today I had lunch with a different friend and told her about the trip and shared the pictures with her as well. Last week when I visited another friend, part of our conversation was the same as I had the last couple of days. It was about the connection of family. We all have different family structures – married for years, divorced, single, grew up with siblings, or in an adoptive family, knowing extended family or not. In all situations the common experience was that family ties and relationships are like none other. Even in circumstances that are not the best, there is a special bond with those we are related to. This is not to say that those relationships are always great, but my 3 very different friends and I all expressed that even when we have met a new family member for the first time, we feel that connection. It is as if we had known them our whole lives. And if we haven’t visited with someone for a long time, when we are reunited, we just pick up where we were. It is an interesting dynamic and a gift that I am grateful for.

I Found God today being reminded of the beauty and importance of family bonds.