Rearview mirror perspectives

I have a lot of nerve. After whining about the stress of having my whole family here for the holidays, I'm now going to whine about how sad I am that they're all gone.

Seriously.

But I can't help it - I took it for granted that for two weeks straight I could wake up every morning and hear my mom, with her thick German accent, talking downstairs. I took for granted that Jack would accompany me to Home Depot, and share funny stories on the car ride there and back. I took for granted that my sister would borrow my clothes, and that we'd sit downstairs at night and drink milk and eat brownies. I took for granted that my nieces would scream in delight and terror over Hero (at about 6:30am). I took for granted that TO would best my scores on Snood and knock me off the high score board. I took for granted that Mookie would, well, do whatever it is that Mookie does :)

I'm blessed with a family that when they're around, even though they may drive you nuts at times, makes you feel like you're wrapped in a warm blanket and bouncing on a safety net that will never tear or break. To me, family means unconditional love and support. It's supposed to mean that for everyone, but I realize it's the luck of the draw, and I lucked out.