What Does Family Mean to You?

Over the last two weeks, I’ve been on vacation with my family for spring break, attended a family wedding and had my aunt and uncle visit us from out of town. Therefore, the concept of family, especially as it relates to wellness, has been on my mind and is something I’ve been reflecting on a lot lately. Family can be defined as your family of origin, your family you create with your spouse or significant other, your extended family or relatives and/or dear friends of many years who have become like family. How do you define family for yourself and what does family mean to you? For me, family falls into all of the categories I mentioned above. They all play very important roles in my life, are people whom I love very much and all know who they are!

My family of origin, which consists of my parents, two brothers and sister, has been my foundation throughout my entire life and is extremely near and dear to my heart. My parents raised me to be who I am today and my brothers and sister also helped shape me through the experiences and friendship we’ve had growing up together.

My family I created with my husband, which includes our nine and six year-old sons and is pictured in this blog post, holds another treasured place in my heart. Marrying my husband and having our two sons are three of the greatest blessings of my life. They’re the people who are with me every single day and I’m so incredibly grateful for the life we have together.

My extended family of in-laws, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and late grandparents, has also played a big role in my life in helping me understand our family tree and where we came from. They’re also people I admire and value and I truly enjoy their company and the richness they bring to my life.

And last, but certainly not least, my dearest friends who have been in my life over the years during various stages, are definitely like family for me as well and we all treat each other as such. Whether they’re from high school, college, grad school, work, our neighborhood, our children’s schools or other affiliations, they mean the world to me.

Those who are family see us for who we really are. They know us inside and out and have seen us at our best and our worst. They know about our fears, hot buttons, strengths, weaknesses, successes, failures, quirks, hopes, dreams and other aspects of ourselves that make us uniquely who we are. Sometimes our relationships with our family members can be complex and that complexity can span across many levels. And sometimes they can disappoint us, annoy us, disagree with us, make us angry or make us sad. However, there isn’t a single family out there that’s perfect and no matter what life may bring, these are the people who will be there for us time and time again and we’ll be there for them as well. They’re the people we depend on in good times and bad and without them and their influence, our life wouldn’t be the same and we wouldn’t be the same.

So as we approach the weekend, I encourage you to reflect on your own family and think about the roles they play and the impact they have on your life. Try to understand them, respect them, cherish them, forgive them and most importantly, love them with all your heart.

That’s it for today, Passion Fit Crew! Until next time…

XOXO,

Reena