Family has been a relative (pun intended) term for me in the last 7 years as I have been living on another coast 2,500 miles away…
So there is no typical way to encounter family members on a regular basis since it is rare that I take the 5 hour flight out there to see them for a few days.
However, that isn’t to say they don’t do nice things for me every now and then…
My cousin recently started reaching out to me and other cousins in a group chat, and we hadn’t really talked like that in years…
Although we did grow up together and spend a lot of time together in the most fun and awkward years of our lives. Obviously, as time goes on, people grow apart.
And grow apart we did…
In this group chat, she posts funny encounters with my aunt who I miss and love dearly, and also random thoughts she has or tiktoks she thinks are worthy of our attention, which we always stop to watch.
Then I mentioned something in passing, about the struggles of being a mom and having to navigate career and social life, all while trying to be the best version of a mom you could possibly be.
Her, not having children of her own, empathized with me. Created a separate conversation, and told me she wishes she could be closer to help. She started sending me links to useful items I could get to make my life easier right now, which is so thoughtful and considerate.
Just the fact that she took time out of her day to even entertain my grievances was enough support I could ask for. She knows me best, I don’t ever really ask for help, but somehow manage to do a lot. She acknowledged that which is sufficient for me to sleep peacefully at night.
So, while my family is on an entirely separate coast and direction of the wind, we still manage to find ways to uplift each other in ways that only family could.