Phew! I’m still full from all of the delicious food that I ate yesterday.

My aunts certainly outdone themselves, we had a good old-fashioned Southern meal on Thanksgiving. From the perfectly seasoned Turkey to the mouth-watering carrot cake—every bite was made and sealed with love.

Related Reading: The Best Things in Life Are Southern. 

Gathering with my family on Thanksgiving was a sweet reminder of why family is so important. As we get older, sometimes, the dynamics of family change. Not that we want it to change, there’s just something called life that happens. The kids get older and go off to college. Then graduate and start building a family of their own. Some family members relocate, others become ill and go on, and sometimes, family ties unravel.

Being with them yesterday and reminiscing and laughing about old times always puts the meaning of family in perspective for me. I feel comfortable and loved in a different way that no one else can provide in the same way. Family are the people who have embraced and loved me from the very beginning—no matter what.

They’re the people that I’ve made memories with over the years, the people (when I look at them) I see myself in them, literally. I see how God created each of our genes to favor each other, our personalities to align, our gestures are the same, our morals and values are deeply rooted in the same beliefs, and our love for each other never fades in the distance.

Spending quality time with my family, those special moments I’m choosing to cherish forever in my heart. I’ll keep those memories bottled up and tucked away in a safe place. A place that I came re-visit often when I want to feel the love and comfort of the people who’s a part of me.

Moments like yesterday allows me to appreciate and value the time that I have to spend with my family. It puts everything in perspective for me: I still have family that I can spend time with, laugh with, joke with, be serious with, even disagree with, and again—be comfortable within a way that’s like no other bonding.

What’s interesting about being emerged in quality time with your family and connecting with them, is that you find out things you’ve never known. How rich in history your family lifeline is.

I’m so thankful that I had an opportunity to experience and share a family tradition that brings family together. My heart is full, my mind is blessed, and my soul is satisfied.