Today I spent the day at my parents place where we celebrated my Grandma's 78th Birthday. We took her out for lunch at the Empress of China (the food has really gone downhill in the last couple of years - the food just has not sat right with me all day) and spent time together as a family.
Kevin and my cousin Dillon play on a senior men's basketball team and they had a game this afternoon, so we all went out to watch them play. Sometimes it makes me wish that I had more time in my life to be able to play on a senior women's volleyball team or something. Perhaps that can be on the list of things to do next fall once school is done. The game did not end up in their favor, but it was entertaining to say the least. I couldn't believe how whiney men could be with fouls and injuries. I lost count after awhile of seeing guys overexaggerating their falls in order to get a foul called against the other team. It was quite something!
Dominika and my mom and I also did some Christmas baking today. I am not quite finished yet, but I am getting close. I believe all I have to finish is my nanaimo bar and my cream wafers (I have attempted the cream wafers already, but for some reason they did not turn out. Not sure what went wrong, but my mom is going to fiddle around with my dough to see
if she can get them to cooperated). Last night my mom and I made carmal corn/poppycock. It turned out quite well and is extremely yummy. I could eat that stuff forever! Today we made the peanut butter balls. The 3 of us had such a good time. We make quite the team. We all bake very differently from each other and so when we combine our talent's, the process becomes quite entertaining. Some people pay too much attention to detail and others don't pay quite so much attention. 
It was very nice to be able to spend the day with my family. So often family can drive us crazy, but on days like today you realize how precious and fun they can actually be. A couple years ago you would have never heard me say such things. My family drove me crazy - it's why I moved out as soon as I did. But over the years we have all grown - me, my parents and my brothers. We have never gotten along as well as we have in the past year or so. It's wonderful.
Happy Birthday Grandma! I wish you all the best in the coming year. May God continue to bless you in all that you do. I love you lots.
Kevin and my cousin Dillon play on a senior men's basketball team and they had a game this afternoon, so we all went out to watch them play. Sometimes it makes me wish that I had more time in my life to be able to play on a senior women's volleyball team or something. Perhaps that can be on the list of things to do next fall once school is done. The game did not end up in their favor, but it was entertaining to say the least. I couldn't believe how whiney men could be with fouls and injuries. I lost count after awhile of seeing guys overexaggerating their falls in order to get a foul called against the other team. It was quite something!
Dominika and my mom and I also did some Christmas baking today. I am not quite finished yet, but I am getting close. I believe all I have to finish is my nanaimo bar and my cream wafers (I have attempted the cream wafers already, but for some reason they did not turn out. Not sure what went wrong, but my mom is going to fiddle around with my dough to see
if she can get them to cooperated). Last night my mom and I made carmal corn/poppycock. It turned out quite well and is extremely yummy. I could eat that stuff forever! Today we made the peanut butter balls. The 3 of us had such a good time. We make quite the team. We all bake very differently from each other and so when we combine our talent's, the process becomes quite entertaining. Some people pay too much attention to detail and others don't pay quite so much attention. Due to the casualness of my family, we rarely eat at the dinner table. We often eat in front of the tv in the basement. It's comfortable and very low key. However, today they felt like being traditional and we actually ate at the dining room table with lit candles and christmas music playing in the background. We had delightful conversation and it was a very nice change if I do say so myself!
It was very nice to be able to spend the day with my family. So often family can drive us crazy, but on days like today you realize how precious and fun they can actually be. A couple years ago you would have never heard me say such things. My family drove me crazy - it's why I moved out as soon as I did. But over the years we have all grown - me, my parents and my brothers. We have never gotten along as well as we have in the past year or so. It's wonderful. I had breakfast last week with an amazing friend of mine and we talked about family and how we don't know much about our family's history's and where they have come from. What makes our family's tick? Why do our parents do things that drive us crazy and don't make sense? I can't say that I know the answers to those questions at this moment, but I am slowly learning.
I have spent many hundreds of dollars on therapy trying to figure out how I was going to "change" them, when in fact I really cannot change them at all. Rather, I needed to change who I was and try to understand why they do the things they do. Perhaps my dad has never told me he loves me because his parents never told him that and perhaps my mom doesn't communicate very well because her mom doesn't communicate well with her.
In the past year my eyes have been opened into the lives of my parents, thus allowing me to be able to extend grace to them rather than resort to anger and resentment because they do not act in the way that I would want them to. I will never change them and who they are, but I can change me. My parents are wonderful people, but like everyone else in this world they have their flaws. The trick to getting past the flaws is to extend grace. I hope that one day my parents and I will have an awesome relationship and slowly by surely it is getting there - one step at a time.
Not sure if any of the above made any sense, but it has just been something that has been on my heart this past week.
1 comment:
What wise words about family Kara. How different relationships can be when approached with grace rather than sheer frustration. Hard to do some days, but makes all the difference. Glad you could have good family time.
Love you.
S.
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