Our world today is full of drama. It doesn’t matter what color skin you have, your social status, your financial situation, or what you believe: there is always drama. This is especially true for families: I hate family drama. It seems that everything within the extended family is focused on who is not speaking to whom, who is breaking tradition, etc., etc. No one is talking to each other; sides are chosen; lines of communication are snapped in two; hearts are stomped on. Why can’t we just get along?

Focus on the happiness that is going on right now. Kids are running around giggling. Do you know how precious they are? Instead of thinking about how even these babies will one day have their own drama amongst themselves, enjoy their joy. Smile their smiles. Take a lesson from them.

My biggest dream, impossible as it sounds, is having the family together. We usually have almost everyone for holidays, but not everyone at once because of in-laws and other parents. My dream is bigger than a chaotic Christmas because those holidays just give me a glimpse at my dream. I want everyone to be together in one place, with no electronics, except maybe the fireplace DVD bought last year. We would all just enjoy each other’s company, for hours and hours. A movie might be watched. Good food shared. We would all be comfortable and toasty. No one would have to be awkward or weird, except for those whose personalities are just wired that way. We could all be ourselves, being together in harmony.

I know this dream is a tough one, but if just a couple times a year we do it, these tots and big kids running around could experience just what I have had in years past. Only even I have not experienced it because the family has grown so much since I was little. I want everyone to be there, so no one is missed.
It’s silly. But it is my dream. I went to a youth retreat last weekend, and there I was told that my dream is simply that, mine. I can have it if I choose. No one can get rid of it. I am hoping, praying, and waiting for the day that my family can all be together with no tension and no times we have to leave. I love them all so much. I can’t even begin to tell anybody how much I love my family, or how much it pains me to see them all having tension.

My family is mostly a well-mannered, drama-lacking, and joking sort of clan. Not all the time, of course, but our problems are not the same or as difficult as many other families. None the less, even the little spats bother me. What if we become the kind of family who never see each other? I don’t want that to happen, and I don’t think it’s good that so many families are like that. Family is what matters. We shouldn’t take it for granted, nor should we abuse it.