Family Week

I spent this week with my family in Utah and remembered what family feels like again. The way the chaos of little kids with running commentary is so familiar, and little arms always around your neck, and rubbing their little noses into your shoulder passes on colds and love all at the same time.
My niece is snuggling up to me now as I write, telling me everything. Really its been a miracle week for her, and for her little family - They were just sealed, and she was just adopted into our family. Her ability to be calm and at peace in the temple was a miracle we were all praying for.
Family time is full implications for me - like my dad's random commentary on my perpetual state of singleness . . . I can't help but smile. Besides inheriting colds from children, there are in-depth analysis of life with my sisters and therapy sessions about how to survive graduate programs and a quick jaunt to temple square. I feel irrationally proud of my sisters, I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but each of them are strong women who can make things happen, I like to think I can be a part of that.
This week I spent some time with my Mom going through an old chest of my grandma's who passed away last October. It was full of random nick-nacks, and part of her doll collection with little names and notes pinned to many of the dolls. I wondered why grandma had chosen to save the things that she did, one special little perfume bottle or a bunch of bobbins, but they reminded me of her, and most especially for my mom they were some part of her mother.
I inherited a harmonica from that chest and a small book, I think from the 1970s on how to play it. Learning how to play the harmonica just went on my bucket list.
I can't think of any other way that I'd rather spend a vacation.