I love you family

    

 As a little girl I was raised with story books of hero's and princesses. Books of trials and triumphs. I had my own little library and would sit in my room for hours reading of hero's and their victories. As I grew up realized I was surrounded by those characters in the stories in my everyday life. 

  People who know me know that my family is one of a kind. I come from a big family and that might sound normal to some but when I say big I mean BIG! On my moms side she is 1 of 14 kids on my dads side he is 1 of 12. Each one of those kids has kids who's kids have kids and their kids have kids. So when we have family reunions we take over an entire park. It basically looks like a large corporation is throwing their entire company a huge event but nope that's just one side of my family taking over.  It's crazy to think how many cousins and second cousins I have but it's also pretty awesome. 

  When I was little my family moved us from Washington to Arizona and every summer we would make the trip back to Washington. I was able to grow up knowing my cousins and tias and tios. Some are crazy silly some are quiet, some are amazing cooks, crazy good mechanics, great dancers, Elvis impersonators, great fisherman, some are sweet but when they are all together they created the perfect kind of wonderful memories a kid needed. They made every party fun every get-together a party.

    Like most stories tragedy hits. It shakes up everything and unfortunately these past few years that's what has happened to my family. The hero's like in storybooks were hit.

  The great fisherman struck ill. With his illness all the walls shook. The preachers prayed and we cried out. Begging for mercy selfishly begging for more time and him to stay. The childhood fantasy of him helping me build my dream car dwindling. The rest of his warriors (sisters and brothers) wounded next to him slowly hurting. His princess and prince devastated.  My hero's have been hit. With tiny glimmers of hope and his one of kind smile and jokes you hold on. Hold on that he will be healed only to have your whole world rocked when healing doesn't come. Sad faces filled the room hero's heads bow down tears fall like heavy rain and cries fill the room like thunder. Together we all come and we know we will live on. His memory we will carry and we will prevail. Months later it hits again. The foundation is rocked. The original art is hit out of nowhere. Wounds are still healing, we're trying to recovery not another hero. Cries fill the room, mourning why two? He held history stories, humor, knowledge now gone. His queen devastated his army wounded. Loud cries fill church walls screaming crying praise and worship with rivers of tears trying to make sense of it all. All hero's huddle take vowels to take all precautions to heal. 

  The sunshine's giving hope. The village attempts to rebuild fallen walls and wounds with memories of our fallen hero's. Promises to go on in your memory and live. With wounds healed as good as they will be we're hit again. A strong pillar one who saved far more than we can count gone. Flood gates open war cries heard and we are hit again. Another hero down. Heads bowed our hero's can not regroup as fast before we are under attack.  We pull together like before and with tears laughter memories shared and glimmers of hope shine bright. But than a queen filled with laughter, beauty, strength and heart is struck ill. Hard news is given and hearts are broken. 

  My hero's are aging and the truth is with every fallen and sick hero we lose a piece of amazing history and it hurts. I know my Tios and Tia's gave us some amazing memories. The things they have taught me with each one being a little different than the other I am forever grateful for. When I was born my grandmother passed months after and my grandfather was not always around so this amazing family of 12 siblings (hero's) banded together and kept amazing traditions and came together for each other. When they are together you can feel a love like no other and when one is in need they pull together, when one is sick they are there. I come from an amazing family with a strong amazing history. Even though these past years and currently right now our story isn't at all what we wanted it to be we will all come together like always and we will say I love you and whole heartily mean it and like our hero's we will be there for each other even during these hard times. 

  Tragedy hurts losing part of my history or seeing my family sick is a pain I can't explain.. Being hundreds of miles away and not able to wrap your arms around cousins and tia's is hard and say I'm here is so hard. The thought of losing more family is heartbreaking. Our family is shook and we are hurt! I am hurt! But we are strong we are daughter and sons of fighters who built us a foundation of strength and when it hurts like hell we'll cry out to God and cling to each other. As much as these few months will hurt I will do exactly that. I love you family!