Acceptance is a choice...

Relationship connections grow through acceptance. The picture in this blog is a representation of acceptance. Why? It is the picture of a blended family. By blood, and by marriage, we have become ONE. We are a melting pot family with lots of nationalities. We may have different genes, but the title we share “family” is stronger than our genetic differences. We have experienced births, deaths, and marriages that have “required” this family to change. Change takes time but acceptance really isn’t an option, if we truly want to build, maintain, and reconcile the relationships that make us a family.

We are family. We are individuals with different personalities. If you were to sit in on a family card game you would see each of our personalities coming through as we “play” the game. We also represent the term “frienemies” while playing a game. We do not let each other win, we get mad at each other, we intentionally “mess up” each other’s game plan, and we share dessert, we may even call the winner a cheater, all in love. When we leave the table it’s as if nothing ever happened, it’s not personal. Differences of opinions and personalities do not divide us as we continue to remember it is only a game. In real life we support one another through acceptance.

We make mistakes. We don’t always think or do things the way someone thinks or expects us to do them. No one is perfect, to expect someone to be, sets people and relationships up for failure. There is a difference between feeling angry momentarily and rejecting someone long-term out of anger. Acceptance of one another is protected through forgiveness and grace.

We love deeply. The sweet little boy pictured has changed this family again. He is the next generation and we accept him and work on learning to support him each in our own way. His grandma is overly cautious with him as he is a precious commodity, one of a kind, and my sweet first grandbaby. Every person in this picture is committed to helping him. Why? Because the minute he was born he was accepted through love.

We have an opportunity, daily, to keep connecting, building, maintaining and reconciling relationships through acceptance and love. Acceptance is a choice we make time and again that continues to help us build maintain, and reconcile relationships over time.