I have been thankful to spend some time with my family this summer.

I love college and I enjoy having my independence and the chance to further my education.

But I was ready for a family fix.

I believe that family is one of the most important things that people can have in life.

I have found that people come and go, but my family has been the one constant in my life.

A family is made up of people who will love and accept a person no matter what.

In fact, Jane Howard said, “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”

My family is the type who believes that eating dinner together is important and family vacations are vital.

I have always been close to my family and I like being around them and just spending time with them.

I have had a great summer so far just spending quality time with my family.

It has been great for me because I have been able to hang out with my sister more and have heart to heart discussions in person as opposed to over the phone.

It has been wonderful just to be able to watch a movie with her or just bother her while she is trying to read.

Hey, she can read anytime.

I have enjoyed spending more time with my little brother Justin.

We get along pretty well, but we do have a hard time picking television shows we both enjoy and we usually end up fighting over the remote.

Oh well, all I wanted was to watch something besides Motor Cross.

Is that too much to ask?

I have enjoyed being able to do something as simple as sitting in the den and watching “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” with my mom and dad.

It has been wonderful to be able to talk to them or see them anytime and not just on the weekends.

I have enjoyed bothering my cousins Jimmy, Jay and David and my Uncle Joey at their shop while they are working on farm equipment.

I, of course, am clueless about the equipment but I ask lots of questions anyway.

“What’s this?”

“How does this work?”

“Can I help?”

They good naturedly answer my questions and let me hang out with them.

I have also enjoyed being able to spend more time with my Aunt Danielle.

She has been a great listening ear for me.

I have enjoyed being able to have more time to play with my little cousins Gracie and Luke.

They especially like playing outside on their swing set or on the trampoline.

I have had a chance at a second childhood.

It has been great.

I have enjoyed being able to talk to my Aunt Renee more.

She is a great person to talk to about any problem.

I have enjoyed seeing my Uncle Jeff.

He is always happy to see me and he makes me laugh.

One of my favorite things about the summer is cook outs and we have a lot of them at my grandparent’s house.

It is great fun for me to be able to spend time with my grandparents.

Whether it is playing Scrabble with mama, or riding around the farm with papa, or just sitting in their den doing a crossword puzzle, I always have fun.

My Aunt Jen is an awesome person and I have enjoyed getting to see her more often and just talking to her about random stuff.

I have also enjoyed seeing my Aunt Pam and my cousins Jessica and Jake more often.

We always have interesting conversations.

I was recently given the opportunity to ride home from a trip with my cousin Colby and my mom and Aunt Jen.

We had so much fun talking and laughing and sharing family stories.

I always like remembering fun times that I have had with my family.

It seems we can always find something to laugh about.

I honestly don’t know where I would be without my family.

I know that no matter where I end up going in my life, I can always come home and my they will always be there for me.

It means a lot to me to have people who care about me, encourage, support and love me.

Remember faithful readers, family is love.