It's such a blessing to finally be friends with my mom. It simply took a lot of growing up. Our relationship was so tumultuous throughout high school and the years following. I have come to realize that the insight she offers has value and she truly wishes only for my happiness.

Your entire perspective of your parents changes when you become a parent. You are finally able to empathize with them and see where they were coming from and why they demanded so much of you. It's because they love you! When I look at my children, my heart just oozes love. It comes billowing out of me, there's so much there I'm unable to contain how much I care for them. How then must my parents feel about me? And how much more so the Lord?

I'm so lucky to be born into a large family. How neat that I have a brother so close in age to my son. So great that they can be best friends, that my children can be so close to my siblings. I wish that my family could be closer and that my sister will wake up one day to realize how lucky we really were. No matter what happened, we always had each other.