Familia

This week, especially yesterday, I've been realizing how much family really means. Now don't get me wrong, I have always loved my family more than anything, especially the past year or two. However, it still baffles me that I keep growing closer to them. I'm not talking physically (although I keep coming nearer and nearer to my dad's height). I've grown closer to my big brother even though I haven't seen him for 9 months and he's been in Ecuador for 7 of those months. It's amazing what one e-mail a week can do. It's also astonishing what lack of a family member can teach you.

Having my best friend gone for 9 months has not been easy, mind you. But boy, has it been beneficial. I used to take every problem in my life to my big bro, and he would always tell me what I should do. And it wasn't any crappy advice. Every time I acted on his words, things worked out for the best. It was weird, almost as if he had been a teenager in the same situations before. Now I have a team of three that I solve petty issues in my life with: Me, myself, and I. I'm left to figure things out on myself or take them to my parents, who usually end up lecturing me. You can't even imagine how much more I appreciate Ute and all the time he spent listening to me. He did so much for me, and now that I realize all of it, my love for him is larger than ever. Also, my mom has been gone this whole week. This leaves me to pick up most of her responsibilities at home while she's in California on business. So I was the one to keep the house in order (partially), make dinner, clean up dinner, make sure the little boys didn't eat each other, etc. This also made me realize how much work my loving mother puts in to keep us all happy. At this moment, she's over in the kitchen cooking up some steak and potatoes. The house looks better than it has all week and everyone's happy. She makes it look easy, and it is so not. Plus she works a full time job and manages to find time to quilt. Obviously, no one would do this for others if they didn't love them from the bottom of their heart. That's saying something.

Elder Russell M. Ballard gave a talk titled "Mothers and Daughters" in the Saturday Morning Session of the last General Conference. My family and I were in Spain during General Conference, so I listened to it for the first time yesterday. Correction: I listened to it for the first and second time yesterday. My mom and I sometimes clash like every teenage girl and her mother, so it was really good for me to hear this talk addressing the relationship between us. Elder Ballard said, "Young women, your mothers adore you. They see in you the promise of future generations. Everything you accomplish, every challenge you overcome brings them pure joy. And likewise your worries and heartaches are their worries and heartaches." That is a really powerful statement to me. My mommy really loves me, even if we yell at each other sometimes. He also said, "Now, mothers, I understand that it sometimes appears that our children aren’t paying attention to the lessons we’re trying to teach them. Believe me—I’ve seen that glazed-over look that comes to the eyes of teenagers just when you’re coming to what you think is the best part of your instruction. Let me assure you that even when you think your daughter is not listening to a thing you say, she is still learning from you as she watches you to see if your actions match your words. As Ralph Waldo Emerson is believed to have said, 'What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say' " I find this statement to be extremely true, and I am extremely guilty. I am infamous for the eye roll while my parents are trying to help me and I don't always remember what they say. But, I will never forget the examples that they set daily. They teach me how to stay righteous and have fun while doing it.

Movies lately have been completely destroying the family, implying that it is useless and a hassle. One reason I loved the new movie "Despicable Me" is because it actually supported families. The huge moral in the movie is that families make you a better person, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Plus, it is a hilarious movie. Highly recommended.

I'm so grateful that I have such an amazing family and that I can share anything with them, that we're not only family, we're friends. They are so important to me and I love them with all of my being. Moral of the story: Family is good.