In this week’s blog, I want to speak about family. Family in this regard can be the people we hold dear to our hearts and love unconditionally. Though we may fight or disagree with them, a family is important, especially during these unknown times. A family has and can still play a significant role in your life. Perhaps you lost a job and had to move in with a family member. Perhaps you are on the negative side of things and lost someone you love that got sick and died. Nonetheless, a family can be your support and backbone when you don’t see hope or feel lost.

Though we may not all have a family we can call our own, we should have something that is close to it. You may be on bad terms with your family, but it doesn’t take them away from your life. A family does not always have to be related by blood. A person can become and enter your family from many different cuts of cloth. What makes a family a family is the devotion and love involved. A relationship is different than family because you can end or throw away a relationship. A family is something that is forever. No amount of time, disdain, or separation can take away the fact that your family is there.

I have read many sad stories of people losing multiple members of their families at once during this pandemic. I know how tragic and traumatizing death can be, but it is part of life. Though I know no one wants to see, their loved ones get sick and pass away due to an illness. We have to face the reality that this virus is taking many lives. We have to do what we can right now, and family can be that now. Remember, we don’t have a date tattooed on our body with a “Use by date” on it. This means that we do not know when our last moment will be. This does not mean I want you to be afraid of dying or death. I want you to be aware of the life you have and make sure you live it to the fullest.

We have to learn how to appreciate who and what we have right now. Our family members mean well, but egos and mindsets can sometimes clash with each other. You will not always see eye to eye with your loved ones, but you can learn to appreciate others’ opinions. I see now more than ever, people fighting and arguing over their opinions and beliefs. I am not sure where people thought that having a difference in opinion was a bad thing. I might like yellow, and you like blue. That is your choice to like what you like, and it is your choice to believe what you want to believe in. Family can, and people, in general, can make that challenging sometimes.

Families can be critical of who you are and what they envision you becoming. No one but you can change your habits and destination in life. Though your loved ones can be rough around the edges, we have to appreciate and respect their opinion. You might want to punch them in the face to help them calm down, but there is no need for that. Family is there to test your resolve and help you to work out what is best in your life. Though we think we know everything, there comes a certain power in understanding that we do not know everything.

You will come to find that your family wants to help you when you are down and out. Now, I understand that not everyone has a strong supporting family. You might have been abandoned and be on your own in the world. It might be a choice to stay alone and progress in life without the need for anyone. However, there is also the side where you find someone that will not leave you like others have in the past. The truth is that people need people. For example, did you pick the eggs you had for breakfast or raise the cow that produced milk for your coffee? We have developed a society where people assist people in some type of way. Farmers grow our food, supermarkets help distribute the food, and then we have our family that we cook for and appreciate.

What would you do if you didn’t have that friend or family member in your life? Where would you be? I know I would not be here. I needed a firm hand to lead and smack me in the back of the head when I was not making the proper choices. I had to learn how to be of value to society and myself. Family is what got me to where I am in my life. I can feel the love from my family every day, even though we are thousands of miles apart and do not speak every day. What I do know for sure is that if I ever need a hand or a push, they will be there for me.

There are many stories about children growing up and forgetting their parents because life just happens. We get so wound up in our own agenda that we forget that while we are busy growing up, the family that raised us is growing old. This leads us to today, when we are losing multiple generations because of the virus. This pandemic has had an impact on the whole world and turned some people’s lives upside down. People are losing everything, including their families. Have you thought about growing up lately or your future? Many people are just waiting for the world to start again so that they can go back to their complacent lives. Yes, people will appreciate when things go back to “normal,” but the truth is we will forget. We will forget the hardship and once again take what we had for granted. Though it might take some time to forget this period in our lives, the scars will be there.

We have to make sure that when we get back to our norm, we do not forget those that we love and hold close to our hearts. We have to learn to appreciate them today because tomorrow is not promised. I can tell you that right now, at this moment, you can make and be the difference you want for your world. You can call a loved one and let them know you are doing well. You can reminisce on old times and smile/cry at those memories. So how can we get to this point? How can we take the initiative to get to the point where we are not taking family, even our life, for granted?

In order to appreciate and not take what you have for granted, you must do an assessment of what you have in your life. You can have loving parents and siblings that are always there for you. You can have an estranged cousin who shows up once in a blue moon and ask for a handout. What can you do to make your family situation better today? Though you might not have the patience or interest in making sure you keep the family together, it never hurts to pick up the phone and give someone a call. Someone you can speak with right now before it is too late.

Life can be heavy sometimes. We can lose everything we have and just want to give living up. We can lose a loved one and just want to crawl into a hole and bawl our eyes out. This is the reality for some people right now. I am sure that this person who has lost a loved one will tell you to appreciate what you have and to take today to say “I love you” or “thank you” to someone you hold dear. I know it can be difficult to swallow your pride and put away your ego to tell someone how much they mean to you. Family can be your everything, and you just won’t notice until it is too late. I do hope you can begin to search, find, and reach out to your family today.

In conclusion, you want to make sure that the family you have today knows what they mean to you. You have to send out a message or give them a call to let them know how much they mean to you. Again, tomorrow is not promised. Trust in your family to reciprocate your emotions. I find that if you approach someone in a sincere and loving way, then they will give back what you put out. They feel the same way you do. Learn to let go of pride and egos so that you can let your family know how strong a bond your share with them is. Family might not seem like something you should cherish right now, but when they are gone, you will only have the memory of them. Take the initiative to create more memories as often as you can. So that when the times come for you to say goodbye, the tears that fall from your eyes will be filled with love and happy memories that you helped create.

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts