Family is Forever

As I was driving home, as in Fairview home, it slightly dawned on me that my days with my family are limited. Now, I don't mean to say limited as in I'm going to die soon (Well, I hope not at least) but limited in the fact that the things in and around my family aren't going to be the same today as they were yesterday.  I have realized since I went to college that even though I'm an hour and a half away, life still goes on here at the homestead.  Nevertheless, I guess I am going on and doing things on my own as well, it's just weird that I'm not as connected as I used to be.

Last semester, I really liked being able to come home. I counted down the days until I could get the heck out of Stilly and I always dreaded leaving to go back on Sundays. I had a lot of my friends, in high school and in college, that didn't really agree with me visiting home so often.  They would tell me I needed to branch out, break away, only visit two or three times a semester, or not go home at all.  At times, they really got to me.  I was so afraid that people would view me as "stuck in high school", a "homebody", or "unable to let go of the past".  I cared so much what people thought about me that it tore me down.  I would feel ashamed for wanting to go home and seeing the people I loved and missed the most.

It wasn't until the end of the semester that it really hit me:  It's my life, why am I letting others define it?  I decided to let go of what others were saying about me and live my life the way God intended me to live it.  I prayed about it so much that I think God was saying, "Paige, I've already figured this out...why can't you see it too?"  I did see it though, it just took me a little longer than I would have liked it to.  I decided that I wasn't going to let what others had to say get to me.  I was coming home and seeing my friends and family becauseit was what I wanted to do.  How could I not miss people who were such a big part of my life?  Picking up all of my belongings, relationships, and living in a whole new world and lifestyle was extremely hard for me.

So yes, I am home this weekend. For all of you people out there that think that's ridiculous, how about you quit worrying about others and worry about yourself.  Everyone grows and develops differently. Some students don't come home because they don't have a strong relationship with their families, don't want to deal with what comes along with the visit, or because they have decided to leave their families out of their "new" life.  For me, family is everything. Since I have a sister still in high school, parents who are very involved in the community, as well as my grandparents living in the same town, it's important for me to visit and stay in touch with them.  By saying that, I hope to get across that everyone deals with situations differently and it's not right of someone to judge another.

I'm excited about my life and where God is going to put me.  I do know though that my family will play a huge part in my life.  No matter how busy I become or what comes up in my life, I will never forget my family.  As I've learned through life, friends and boys come and go, but family is always forever.  Whatever the circumstance, my family will stick by me through thick and thin.  I am so thankful for them and I try to tell them often I love them.  I'm fine with coming home and visiting because it's something important to my future success.  So I'm simply living my life the way God and I have intended it and am not letting others get to me, no matter how hard they try.