Day 38-39: Family Time

We had a stopover at my mom's home in Michigan for a few days and got to visit with my mom, my brothers and my nephews.  I feel very blessed to have visited with my family twice already this year.  Since moving to Porltand, visits have been infrequent - life has been busy on both sides and it's always the things right in front of us that have most of our attention, but it's important to remember our priorities, such as family.

They say, "you can never go back home," and this trip has probably been the most interesting return to my mother's house in my adult life.  It's the first time I've returned home with my husband since I got married.  Putting my husband in the context of my family as an uncle to my nephews and a brother to brothers puts him in a different light.  It warmed my heart seeing him hang out with my brothers and calling my mom "mom."  

Like picking up a lost accent, I know I've always reverted to my old skin at least to a certain level when I've returned to Michigan on previous trips and though comfortable in some ways, the lack of authenticity has probably made it hard for my family to get to know me as I am now and for me to get to know them as they are now.  Everybody changes, everybody grows up and changes their ways.  Maybe it was having A with me, but I felt more myself - with all of my history and connection to place and culture in the midwest and all of the changes I have made.  And I felt like I really looked, listened and saw and heard who my family are more than in the past.  

I'm so glad that we got some time with my family during our roadtrip and I look forward to spending more time with both of our families (or all of OUR family) more as the year and years go on.