Families are... Unique by: Luke Simmons

From when I was very little, I always had very nice memories of my family. I remember my sister and I always getting so excited to get in the car and take the four hour ride to my grandparents house in upstate New York. I remember always stopping at the same rest stop, Sheetz, to stretch our legs, get gas, and buy the best hot chocolate for me and my sister and lattes for my mom and dad. I remember always getting the biggest hug from my grandma the moment that we reached the doorstep of my dad's childhood house of barn red colored shingles with chickens in a coop in the back. I remember looking out my grandparents living room window at immense upstate snowstorms, and sitting on the porch with a lemonade in the hot New York sun. My grandparents house was the place of some of my best childhood memories, yet that started to change as I got older.
Well, it didn't really change, it was more like I opened my eyes to see all of the "family problems" that I had been shielded from as a kid. The first time that I remember seeing my family fight was when I walked into the living room of my house when my grandparents were over, I was maybe about 8 years old. As soon as my parents saw me, I felt the whole room go silent as soon as they knew that I was there. I caught a glimpse of their faces change from angry to "fake happy" in an instant, and I could feel the tension in the room as I entered. I know that they were trying to hide whatever was going on from me, but I could tell that something was going on that was not all happy and smiley as I had always perceived family to be when I was little.
I kept noticing moments like this, whether it was conversations during out visits to our grandparents house or long calls between my dad and my grandparents that would go on for hours. Every time I felt a sense of unrest, like something was wrong but there was no way to fix it. That has always been one of my gifts, being able to tell how someone was feeling without even talking to them. I can usually tell exactly how someone is feeling over the phone, text, and in person just off of the tone of their voice and their body language. This allowed me to notice all of these moments that made it seem like my parents and my grandparents were having conflicts almost all of the time.
Eventually, my mom and dad told me that they had been having problems with my grandparents, and they told me that although they were having trouble figuring it out, they were trying their best to mend their relationship and make it work. If I am being honest with myself, this made me very sad, and I felt like there was something wrong with my family, yet that is one of the most untrue things I have ever come up with.
It took me until I was older, but I finally realized that my family is not the only one that has conflicts and issues, but it happens to a lot of families. When you put a lot of people that care about each other more than anyone else in the world in the same place at the same time, it can create tension. This is due to the difference of opinions and feelings about things, and spending time together allows for all of those opinions to be shared, which can be problematic at times. Yet, no matter how much family members might argue, that doesn't change the fact that they all still love and care for each other, and will always support each other no matter what the circumstances.
For all of the people that read this blog, if you have experienced even the most minor problems in terms of family interactions, you need to know that it is completely okay. Your family members always have your best interests at heart, and even when they don't show it, they really do love you. Just keep that in mind the next time something happens in your family that you don't like. That's what I do, and it has really helped me look past the negative and to see that family always sticks together and cares for each other. Family is the strongest possible bond in the world, so don't let negative aspects of family overshadow the immense love that everyone has for each other. No matter what happens, your family is always here to stay. After all, that is what family is all about.

Tim's Wedding (my cousin)

Me, my mom, my dad, Ella (my sister), Erin and Morgan (my cousins), Morgan's boyfriend and my Uncle Darren.