Family Roundup

I have a pretty large family. There are a total of nine of us including my parents, and we range from age 5 to 50. Every once in a while I get this urge to connect with all of them and I go on a calling rampage. I start with the house and talk to whomever is home and then I get the scoop on where everyone else is so I can hunt them down. It takes a little effort and lots of phone tag at times, to actually converse with every single one of them, but with a few hours of dedication it can be done. I usually start by making sure my phone is fully charged, my earpiece in place, and my tennis laced up, then I set out for a long walk. Because it is usually at night, other walkers often think I am talking to myself, or they think I am talking to them, but with a smile and a wave I continue on my way. One by one, I check each family member off the list, and if I am lucky I might get two of them with one phone call. It is amazing how much can simultaneously be happening with one family. Tonight, Jacquie was out with her boyfriend, Maggie was babysitting with a friend, Lydia in Utah at Volleyball camp, Sara and Mom at a movie, Dad at the driving range with a church group, my brother Shon in Seattle cooking dinner with his wife, and my sister Sofia... well, somehow she seemed to be in the background of most of these conversations. It is amazing to know that each of those busy lives belongs to the same family, a family that I love and am so blessed to be a part of. I am going to rest well tonight... knowing that all of them are safe and happy.