2017, the year of Family.

Rather than looking forward into the new year and deciding on a hopeful theme or word for the year, I am looking backwards through 2017 to analyse what word really stands out.

For me, 2017 was a year of family.

This isn’t all in a strictly positive sense, but nothing ever is, I suppose.

Family started showing importance in December of 2016 when my spouses mother passed away, and long sought reconciliation and love was shared amongst that family. Long needed healing on all sides started.
Family continued to be the relevant word of the year in February when my mother started dating for the first time after the death of my father.
Family helped us to start a long awaited business venture, and allowed my spouse to become self-employed.
Changes in family dynamics have created rifts between my mother, my brothers and myself.
Family is protecting your aging loved ones against other members of your family, even when it creates or deepens the aforementioned rift.
Standing against my family to speak for what I believe in is never something I thought I would have to do, and it is definitely not something I believed I would do alone.
Family makes sure your Grandmother has somewhere to go for Christmas, when the rest of the family decides it is too much of an inconvenience to bring her along.
And sometimes, family is creating your own little family, even when it is your very best friend and adventure partner, in little house, in an iffy neighbourhood, with a million projects; friends that have remained supportive and loving, and people so intrinsic to your life you cannot imagine a world without them.

A few days ago a new friend gave us a beautiful frame, with “Family” in the middle. I think I will hang it in the gallery wall. She does beautiful custom painting. It came to us with the offer to be done in any colour palette we would like, to make it truly ours.
It will be unique, colourful, and perhaps just a little bit too much.
Sounds like family to me.



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