When the Going Gets Tough...

This week a great deal has been on my mind about how a family unit faces trials and changes. I watched two separate families go through very hard things this week and it was very interesting to see how each handled these challenges. I found myself worried and hoping that these struggles and trials that they had to endure would not break them, but somehow instead they would find a way to come out stronger and more united. I knew that I had no influence on the outcome of these hardships for these families but I wished I could explain from the outside how their family unit would be the strongest resource that they had during these times. I also found myself thinking about if my own family had to endure the same thing, how we would respond and how would I feel. Would our family withstand the test? I hoped so.

I felt helpless as I heard the news that one family that I know well lost a young member of their family in a freak accident. I knew that this family had already endured a great deal over the years and I found myself wondering if this would be the thing that would cause them to break. However as I attended the funeral I was so comforted to see just the opposite. This family was surround and supported by such a strong network of extended family and friends that the love in the room was almost tangible. They had pulled together in such a way that only a family could do during a time of crisis. After seeing this family's response, although very heart-broken, but still so strong, I realized that they would make it through only because they had each other and their religious beliefs.

The second was my friend's family who went through an accident that they were very blessed to have everyone return from alive. This incident seemed to shake the family in a way that brought them closer than ever before and give them a perspective of gratitude and humility.

I realized more than ever this week that this is why we have families. We are so much stronger when we stand together as a team. Stress and pressure are almost a good thing that allows us a chance to unite and hopefully change for the better. It is during these moments that we realize how truly blessed we are and we love a little deeper and live each day a little fuller.