Last night my sister came over to my mom's house with her two oldest girls. I haven't seen my nieces in almost a year! We were ecstatic and silly and so, so happy!!
The house was filled with mismatched noises and mess. There were people everywhere and the sounds of cousins getting to know each other again, swapping cool points and showing off new haircuts, deepened voices and belief systems.
My thirty-two year old autistic brother and my fifteen year old autistic son enjoyed hours together in the pool. Far enough from the noise not to be attacked by it, and close enough to remain part of it.
I laughed with and hugged my sister with gusto. My mom and one of my sons hung out in the kitchen cooking. If a stranger were to look around they may wonder who belonged to whom, different colors and styles make you want to match one with another, but the obvious comfort level of everyone with everyone means we must all belong to each other. And we do!!
My oldest niece, who is very nearly thirteen, just kept on randomly exclaiming,"I love our family!" Without question she was voicing how every one of us was feeling.
Summer holidays are a magical time for us. They give us an opportunity to see that we truly do walk our talk. We truly are a family of acceptance, difference, happiness and celebration. We truly do share our ideas and challenge each other with curious passion and love.
And every single one of us truly hopes to see more and more of that in the world, and willingly shares those hopes with volume and honesty. Raw and often seen by others as strange and perhaps a little bit crazy, we know that we are okay with that. We know, crazy or not... here we are!
Thank-you friends for being here too!!
Hugs, smiles and love!!
