Spending time with family

I’m spending this week with family… and really appreciating the time to connect with certain family members that I don’t get to see very often.

It has me reflecting on how much I value and appreciate family.

It hasn’t always been this way.

Family used to cause me a great deal of stress and anxiety, and I used to avoid spending time with them.

I blamed my family for not meeting certain expectations I had of them.

My resentment and anger kept me isolated and alone.

It kept me from connecting.

It kept me from forgiving.

It kept me from understanding.

It kept me from loving.

Yes… I built up walls with my anger and resentment and reinforced them with judgment and criticism.

I couldn’t see how we were the same.

It took a lot of years of working through my own stuff to be able to have compassion and empathy for my family (I’m still working on it!). 

The walls I spent years constructing and maintaining slowly started to crumble.

I began to be able to see my family as imperfect human beings… just like me.

I began to open myself up to connection.

I began to forgive.

I began to empathize and understand.

I began to see where we aligned instead of where we were different.

And… as a result, my relationships with my family started to improve.

I started to enjoy spending time with them.

I began to look forward to our visits together.

I became reunited with my family.

AND… it feels so good!

These days, I really value family.

I make a lot of effort to see and spend time with them.

They offer me a lot of comfort and support.

And… I think I offer them the same.

I do my best today to show up for my family and be there for them.

Like they have always been there for me.

There’s nothing quite like family.

Through the good times and the bad, they seem to always be there.

I’m so thankful for their endless love, compassion, forgiveness, understanding, connection, and support.

My heart is filled with gratitude.

How about you? How are you in relationship with those you call family? 

If you find yourself feeling alone and disconnected, ready to rebuild connection with yourself first and then alignment with others, I would love to talk with you to see if I can be a support along your journey.

Simply click here to grab a spot on my calendar and we can talk.

In Ultimate Support of You!

Katharine

PS This week’s podcast episode is with someone dear to me who also really values family. He attributes his success to his wife who has been there by his side throughout his journey as a confidant and friend. Not only has Mike McKee achieved success as the Vice President and CFO of the University of Florida, he has created a life and career that is in alignment with his values. Now that is something to celebrate AND listen to?! Come join me and be inspired by Mike’s story of success! Click here to access our interview.

PSS I’m still a work in progress and spending time with family allows me to see (very clearly!) where I still have opportunities to grow?.