It was a Christmas in July miracle: The perfect weekend filled with hugs, laughs, and even a few tears.
I love Chicago, but at heart I am an east coast girl. My ideal vacation would be one of three things:
1) A trip to Ocean City and sampling salt water taffy along the shore with the Murray clan.
2) Partaking in a soft pretzel while visiting my grandmother in Philadelphia.
3) OR catching up wtih aunts, uncles, and cousins in Long Island from my mother's side.
It's not so much the places but the faces that make trips out east so special to me. I am very fortunate to have such a large family that just exudes love for one another. As time passes, I cherish weekends like the one I just had more and more.
This past Saturday I celebrated the marriage of my cousin Kevin to his beautiful bride (and now cousin of mine) Jami. I was honored to witness this occassion with them and elated to have the opportunity to bring my fiance Dave as well. As I shared dance moves and pictures with relatives, I couldn't hide the pure joy of those moments. The weekend was a reminder that God has truly blessed me with an unbelievable family who make me believe in Him.
But the love didn't stop there...across the country two amazing women, my Aunt Chris and Aunt Meg, were running a half marathon in Crohn's & Colitis Team Challenge from Napa to Sonoma. I'm so fortunate to have their continuous support in my life and they truly inspire me. My aunts have been running for about ten years and their motivation to run for others really moved me to well...move! Prior to my surgery I was never able to run outside without getting sick or having to run to a restroom. The past three weeks I've taken up running for the first time since gradeschool and am up to about 2 miles now. It's not much but I hope to run with a purpose for the CCFA or some other organizations like my Aunt Chris and Aung Meg have done.
A lot has changed in my life in the past year, but what remains is God's presence in my life through the people he surrounds me with. This weekend served as a reminder that no matter what challenges we may run into or changes come our way, having a good family on your team is the greatest prize at the end of the race.
