Nine months ago I began a journey of practicing mindfulness every day and we've reached day 272. Yesterday, I talked about always putting in your best efforts in whatever you do. Today is a new day.
Some might consider that a bad mentality to have, but I can understand where my mom is coming from. I have only met my step-grandmother, so to me she's my real grandma. Although hearing about my grandmother's sudden death is sad, I don't have any feelings for her. I don't even have a face to associate her with. It's hard to love someone that was never there.
Upon seeing this email it occurred to me that I've never met either of my biological grandmothers. The story is a little different for my father's side of the family. His mother died when he was young and so my grandfather remarried. However, I've still only met my step-grandmother, so to me she's my real grandma. It was her who was there when I was born. She was there every Christmas to share the good times. I have seen pictures of my biological grandmother and have heard stories about her, but I have no real history with her, so knowing about her passing doesn't have much of an impact on me.
Thinking about it, it's kind of a weird feeling, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. To me, it's not blood that makes family, it's the people who were there for you and cared for you unconditionally. That's real family in my eyes; blood or not. In many ways, I consider my closest friends a part of my extended family because of how close we are. They were always there for me when I needed them most and I strive to cherish those relationships as much as possible. The ties we form have the possibility of developing into unbreakable bonds. My grandmas may not be related by blood, but that doesn't make them any less important. They're still real in my eyes.
With Christmas just around the corner I see this as a good opportunity to show these people what they mean to me. A good first start is by being there for them.
Peace
"Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." - David Ogden StiersMy mom sent me an email yesterday mentioning how the police had found her biological mother's corpse in a public bathroom and that she was contacted by the Japanese police as to whether she wanted to have anything to do with the funeral. When my mom was in kindergarten, her mother divorced her father and left them behind. She doesn't even have any memories of what her mother looked like, the sound of her voice, etc. Her real mother, in her eyes, is her step-mother, who was always there for her. She said she didn't want anything to do with someone she didn't know, especially when they abandoned them.
Some might consider that a bad mentality to have, but I can understand where my mom is coming from. I have only met my step-grandmother, so to me she's my real grandma. Although hearing about my grandmother's sudden death is sad, I don't have any feelings for her. I don't even have a face to associate her with. It's hard to love someone that was never there.
Upon seeing this email it occurred to me that I've never met either of my biological grandmothers. The story is a little different for my father's side of the family. His mother died when he was young and so my grandfather remarried. However, I've still only met my step-grandmother, so to me she's my real grandma. It was her who was there when I was born. She was there every Christmas to share the good times. I have seen pictures of my biological grandmother and have heard stories about her, but I have no real history with her, so knowing about her passing doesn't have much of an impact on me.
Thinking about it, it's kind of a weird feeling, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. To me, it's not blood that makes family, it's the people who were there for you and cared for you unconditionally. That's real family in my eyes; blood or not. In many ways, I consider my closest friends a part of my extended family because of how close we are. They were always there for me when I needed them most and I strive to cherish those relationships as much as possible. The ties we form have the possibility of developing into unbreakable bonds. My grandmas may not be related by blood, but that doesn't make them any less important. They're still real in my eyes.
With Christmas just around the corner I see this as a good opportunity to show these people what they mean to me. A good first start is by being there for them.
Peace
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| Blood may be thick, but bonds the formed from being there one another and loving each other unconditionally are thicker. |
If you have any thoughts, stories, or experiences, share them in a comment below!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day~