Family is…
All things wonderful, true, and/or challenging about being with your family
Dear readers and listeners,
This month I’m inviting you to join me on a reflective and fun exercise where you get to share what you think family means to you with the prompt “Family Is…”. I’m eager to read what you’ll write so feel free to reply back to me via email or write your response in the comments below! Anything that feels true and endearing to you based on your personal experience with family is welcomed!
Let me share some of my own reflections:
Family is….
Mom cooking delicious and healthy meals for us factoring in every member’s food preferences. My brother only likes to eat hard, dry rice and I only like to eat soft, mussy rice so she makes both. Dad has to eat fish every meal otherwise he feels his meal is incomplete so Mom makes fish every single day.
All of us sitting down together during dinner and each watching our own videos on our phones (most days). Yes, this means that 4 different phones might be playing videos all at the same time at the same dinner table. Perhaps a quirk unique just to my family? Let me know.
Brownie doggie being old and pooping anywhere she pleases. This without fail results in my brother saying to me “Brownie left a gift for you” or my dad screaming “Brownie 又埋雷了! (Brownie’s laid down some deadly mines in our house again!)” or my mom screaming “Brownie 又干了坏事! （Brownie did something bad again!)”. I’m glad it’s turned into something comical.
Our 1 and only silkie chicken rooster cuckooing and this sound feeling so pleasant to my ears, taking me back to when I was a kid living in the countryside with my grandparents in China.
Baby Tidus, my nephew, knowing when he’s leaving us for the night and waving everyone goodbye, and if we’re lucky, getting a little kiss on the cheek.
My sister-in-law, Tidus, Brownie, and I walking laps back and forth on our driveway quite frequently.
Brother playing the same 5-6 songs on repeat in the same exact order on the piano almost every day. I’m still praying that he’ll learn something new so we can all hear a new soundtrack.
Dad going to work every single day without fail and us expecting him to come home for dinner around 6pm.
Having “real” conversations where we try to understand one another and voice what’s true in our hearts.
Not being able to say what we really want to lovingly say and being scared to show that we care about each other, so instead saying something else that makes it seem like we don’t care.
I’m looking forward to reading what you feel you’re ready to share with me. What feels true for you? What feels endearing? What feels normal? What feels hard? What feels heartbreaking? What feels joyful? What feels quirky?
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Nice story and warm voice. Great job, Liwei!