Happy St Patrick's Day . Family Photos

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Thank you for today. Thank you for family and friends and a weekend to remember love, compassion, and community. It takes effort to be happy for some people. It takes time and patience. It takes being tender, tough, and creative. It takes listening and letting go. I am thankful that when I am with family, I have an opportunity to make an effort to be happy and share that joy with loved ones. I am thankful for this past St Patrick's Day Weekend with Family and Friends.

Mother and her sisters rarely miss a chance to host a family get together. They have always been social siblings. This year mother hosted everyone over for Corn Beef, Cabbage, and Company. The customary Schnucks Bakery St Patty's Day Snake Bread was purchased and placed on the table. My sister Lulu, her husband, and my charming new baby nephew drove in town from Kansas City. My brother, his fellow artistic wife, and two children drove up from Maplewood. The other brothers took time away from frisbee golf and their bustling social life. And we thought of our sister and her family up in South Dakota. The heir to the family's charm, our cousin Joe, his wife, and beautiful baby girl joined us. Our other cousins brought their adorable toddler over. All the kids had buddies to play with. Godfathers and Godmothers, Aunts & Uncles donned green garb and derby caps and even parade beads. Aunt Libby and them went to watch the parade. The mayor rode on the Florissant float this year. He said it was chilly out there as we warmed himself with a smile by the fire. We're all proud of our pop, who is the longest running publicly elected official in the State of Missouri. The money will never reflect his sacrifice, the public will never know how much effort he puts into helping others. In this world there are those who seek to destroy, and there are others who seek to build. My father has always been a builder. And his family is always here to remind him how priceless and appreciated he is. He is after all a Blake, and the luck o the Irish has blessed him with a loving family.

We played College Basketball on the TV while the toddlers tumbled around the room. Was fun to watch my sister's alma mater Loyola & Sister Jean, pull off another upset. I watched as the simplest things held their attention. I held my nephew as my beard fascinated his focus. His eyes wide open and searching the room for discovery. His joy at simple surprise of sight or movement. His giggle and grunts as tumbles on his stomach. He is a cute kid. He brings joy to my loving sister Lulu who has devoted her life to helping others. I remember hearing somewhere that to be human is to be humane, to be humane is to practice compassion. I recently read how being an artist means never having to apologize for one's attempt at creatively practicing being human. And I often think of my family, especially Lulu as someone who has made being a compassionate human being an art. She is gentle, she is forgiving, and it is this kindness that makes her strong and successful. All my brothers and sisters do their best. Nobody is rich, but everyone is doing well, living humble happy lives. It continues to be a joy seeing the universe reward them for the good they bring into the world

I am thankful for today. I am thankful for family and the opportunity to be creative, to be kind, to be appreciated and appreciate others. I am thankful for people who accept me for who I am and who recognize my honest intentions. I am thankful for people who know that I am not perfect, but allow me a safe place to practice compassion. I know they worry for me when I tell them about my goals. I worry for them too. We are creative with our concern. Love is all we need. I can only hope that others have a similar opportunity to find peace, receive love, to practice being human.

It was nice not to have to defend myself from someone who I realize is simply hurting. Recently, someone i care about has been emotionally abusive to me, publicly and privately. I feel betrayed, it hurts, I have forgiven them, but I keep getting hurt. My creative attempts for a healthy relationship with trust and boundaries have been turned into fuel for negativity. I wish them all things positive. Because it was nice to simply be with family and remember we are all human, life is not always what we want, but love is all we need.

May the sun be warm upon your face.
May the wind be at your back.
May a healthy distance you keep from harm
May love in your heart never lack

May the glory that is you be found.
May you pick yourself up when you fall.
May you arrive safely on your path
May joy & journey with others be the greatest gift of all.

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i help curate the #family section on steemit.chat where we welcome stories of family during your #steemexperience.