Connecting - is it worth the work?

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Ah ha!!! moment for me in the area of connecting was when I read Ann Romney’s cook book 🤷‍♀️and she talked about how much work it takes to make traditions. I felt an awareness and relief that it was normal for families to have to work at being families. There were times I would get sad and feel like “our” family took so much work and that we would never have the traditions of a “normal” family and that was a sadness I would carry from having a blended family.

After reading Ann Romney’s cook book and all the work she shared it takes her to make traditions I was relieved to know a “normal” family took work to connect and make magic memories. I had a mind switch at that time in my life. This was part of motherhood, part of being in a family and was a valuable trait and fun job that was priceless to a family.

So for all you Connectors 💗👍🏻🎉 hang on. It is valuable. When you feel like no one wants to get together, when you are not valued, when you feel like all the work you did to make tradition is criticized, or not valued, keep going. Here are the facts. Those kids who are lost and don’t want family time, come back craving for the routine, the tradition when they want to feel safe and need a “home” in their 💗. Those adult kids who don’t value family because they are lost in the fast pace world and being “hip” or “successful” and are busy chasing their success to prove they have arrived, they are touched by the slow pace of family laughter, childhood connections and there will be moments where they feel something different from the heart ❤️they don’t get in the material world 💗 when adult children feel alone or have hard times they remember at family dinners that they belong somewhere. That they are loved and important to those at the table.

Studies show that Families that have stories that they retell over and over are closer and that every family needs to have their stories. You know the ones... the ones that make you laugh, make you remember that time your brother scared you etc. they matter. Sit around retell them. let all the siblings chime in and crack up😂

Tradition no matter how small connects. You have to work at being consistent and make traditions. It is A LOT of work! so is motherhood if honored and done right. Saying that having the one moment of connecting hearts 💗 makes it worth it.

No matter how small make the traditions happen. Fresh squeezed orange juice during the holidays is a little tradition I started to spoil my loved ones on the holidays. I love it and they now expect and look forward to it. When a Disney movie comes out going together as a family with everyone who is close by is an unspoken tradition. Sunday family dinners with everyone who is close by is tradition 👍🏻

Some days it is so hard, but hang in there. It matters. There are no pay raises for creating them, often no accolades, and even painfully the work is put down and devalued. Here is the deal- connectors have to have a strong inner core, a strong self worth, and they must internally get the value in connecting and do it because they believe in it. Because there will be pain in the work and effort and it makes you tired but oh the JOY JOY JOY when even one adult family member says “mom where is the jello ? We always have jello at Thanksgiving“. Or the JOY of having prayer with all your adult children in the home and knowing you are connected. Keep it up. Make the magic happen 💫

I have spent the last week connecting and while I may never know the value it had in the lives of those I gave to, I do know the value of connecting with my mother, my daughter in law Bri in Hawaii, my son and daughter in law in Santa Monica and my husband and my daughter Danielle and my sons Sebastian and Brandon are of such value to me that those moments are priceless

Nothing matters as much as the 💗❤️💗 I am forever a believer in this. Nothing hurts as deep as the things of the heart and nothing brings as much JOY and happiness as celebrating the things of the 💗

“...above all else LOVE” 💗

sending out love and looking forward to sharing next week 😘