Spending Time with Extended Family

Hello,

I took a few days off of work this past week to go to Georgia for family history research, what I call "Dead People Hunting". My kids love it when I call it that, it helps them get a little more excited about going with me. They do their thing while I do mine when we go, the idea is we just love spending time together. In between the searches, while we are driving to places, we spend time telling stories or just talking about life.

I have an aunt who lives in Tallahassee who loves to go with me to Georgia too. So needless to say she came with me this time. The only thing about my aunt going with me is she is a talker (good thing I'm a listener). She talks from the moment you see her until the moment you leave her. I hardly ever get to say anything. I love her so much but man, by the time we part my ears are hurting, we spent two days together this time around.

But I do love hearing some of the stuff she has experienced because she has experienced a life time of trials. The problem with listening to her is she is so detailed. She tells things that have nothing to do with her point but I guess she wants you to see the whole picture, and that is what gets so tiresome.

Anyway, I listened to her stories and learned some real good stuff about my family. She is the only family I have left on my dad's side. Her other brother past away years ago and my dad past away in 2006. My grandmother is gone too so in my aunts generation, she is the last. So I want to treasure the time I have with her, but it takes a lot of patience.

Family reunions are a good time to gather more treasures of family. There, you get to meet many people who can share stories of your ancestry. Hearing those stories coming from so many different people helps you develop a love of the past and for them, or it can make you hate it because its just not important to know about the past or whatever reason. However, the point is spending time getting to know the extended family is also very valuable.

God gave us families because we can draw strength from them, we can share life with them, we can learn to love with them. Families are so valuable, it amazes me when people don't want to spend what little time we have together on this earth getting to know those who are apart of us. I am so glad I do see this value and want to treasure it all. All it takes is a little effort and a little love to start finding the true treasures that our Heavenly Father has given us.

This treasure is a gift that goes with us to heaven. The things we learn from the family are things that can go with us to heaven. We know we can't take the material things with us but our knowledge and the things we learn here are the things we can take with us. I believe that the time I spend with my immediate and extended family will be the things I find pure love and joy in while here in this world and the one to come. Thank you Father for giving me the gift of family, ...and patience.