April Blogging Challenge: F is for Followers & Family

This post is three-fold. First, I would like to welcome the new followers that have stopped by. Thank you so much for stopping by and clicking "follow"! I hope that you stick around and like what you read.

Secondly, I'd like to mention a huge thank you to Deidra Eden-Coppel over at A Storybook World for bestowing on my humble blog, her Creative Blog Award. She stopped by and liked what she saw, and decided to bestow this upon me - or my blog rather. Thank you so much!!

And thirdly, onto my post for today! Today I will be talking about my awesome family. If more families were like mine, the world would probably be a better place. Seriously, if I had ever spoken to my parents like kids seem to today, I would have found myself picking my ass up off the floor more often than not.

My family has a tendency to take care of each other. I'm not saying we don't have our fair share of family drama and issues - because Lord knows every family has their own fair share. We have grudges, we have flakes, we have drama queens (and kings), and the like. But I will focus on the good, because that is what is important.

My parents decided last year to move my grandparents onto their property so they could more easily help them. These are my dad's parents, not the grandparents I'm currently with. Over the last several  years, my dad gradually began helping out his parents more and more often. As long as he's in town, he has lunch over there nearly every day. While he's there, he would assist with ironing, laundry, small fix-its, cleaning, or anything else they would need. My mom cooks food pretty much every weekend for them, so they have plenty of food, as cooking wears out my grandparents. It finally came to a point where my parents felt it would be easier having them closer (like in the front yard kind of close), versus having to drive 30 minutes into town each time.

My grandparents house is up for sale, and they will use the money from the sale to purchase a "granny unit" that will be placed on my parents property. My parents will be helping them pack up their belongings, and help them move. My parents have recently helped get a motorized wheelchair for my Granddad. When Granny calls for something, my parents do what they can to help them out. For the past month, they haven't left their house. My Granddad took a nasty spill in his house, and he can no longer walk very far, even with his walker. My parents have done their grocery shopping, mom still cooks food for them.

My parents also look after my mom's parents. While my parents aren't as involved in the level of care that my dad's parents require, my mom's parents know that my parents will be there for them.

While my parents give up most of their free time to help their parents, they do it willingly. They do try to get some time to themselves, though. They even finagled a night away last week, just to themselves. Which they fully deserved.

Eventually, being the only child, I'm sure this sort of thing will fall on my shoulders (and hopefully a husband's as well). I joke with my parents that I will "take good care of them" and find them the best nursing home. But in reality, I will be just like them - busting my ass to help them.

Why? Because that is what families should do. Seriously. Families are supposed to support each other, help each other, and protect each other. Somewhere this got lost in society. But this was how people survived  since the dawn of people. We created "families" for support and strength. How, why, and where this got lost is beyond me.

I'm proud of what my family does for each other. We may have our drama and issues, but we do still love each other. And that is all that truly matters.