Families come in so many different forms and sizes.
This weekend was all about coming together, both for short and longer term periods.
I went to collect my middle son from university which he has finally finished. So, for now, he is going to be at home with us whilst he makes plans for his future. As a mother, I am already enjoying having him back. For now, I have all my sons with me and I am relishing this time together as I am too aware that this status quo will be shortlived. They are all seeking their own paths and there is no knowing where each of those will take them.
I have also reached a point in my life where I can say I no longer feel the gap in our family structure. The absence of their father doesn’t feel like an absence any more. What I have now is already complete. Anyone else would be extraneous.
And so it was that yesterday, as we headed back towards London, we made our way to my sister’s house where we celebrated her 60th birthday. It was a day therefore, of more than a single milestone. I was celebrating my son’s return home and my sister’s life. Days like these are mixed with happy thoughts of the past and hopes for the future laden with optimism.
As an older person, I look on at life with a deep gratitude for just being here still and being able to partake in the lives of others and be a source of happiness or joy for them, however little or much. I am equally indebted to all those around me who have remained by my side through thick and thin.
Tomorrow is my own birthday. Another reason to rejoice at being alive and relatively well, Alhamdulillah. It’s not about throwing a party and having cake and candles. It is more about celebrating a life which has shown me great blessings and hoping that Allah is merciful towards me and my family always and continues to allow me the calm in my life to continue.
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