Every family has one...

A black sheep.  Every family has one.  You know, the one person that stands out among all of your relatives.  Being a black sheep can be a good thing or a bad thing.  I already have one in mind for my family.  Well, now I can think of two.  One is great, the other... not so much.

The bad black sheep tends to cause anguish for the family.  He or she may have built up a resentment over the course of many years, resentment that is unwarrented and irrational.  This person may think he or she is the one who needs all the attention, and attracts the attention in ways that end up alienating the person.  Other family members may shy away from visiting the black sheep for fear of being the victim of a guilt trip or manipulation.  It is very sad that the black sheep can't even realize who he or she is.  The signs are all around, but he or she is so focused on his or her self that it makes the person blind... or oblivious... or ignorant.

I tend to feel sorry for the bad black sheep because the person could lose friends or even family because of his or her selfishness.  Seriously, what drives a person to be that way?

Take a moment to think.  Who in your family would you consider to be a black sheep?  If you have a significant other, think about his or her family as well...  who is the black sheep?  If you can't figure one out, be it good or bad, then you are either very very lucky, or the black sheep of your family.


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This afternoon, I went down to visit my second family (aka: Trav's family) and it was so much fun!  It was the first time I've gone solo.  Last time I went without Travis, mom was with me, and I guess I considered her to be a type of security blanket.  So when I decided to go visit on my own, I was taking (what I considered to be) a big step.

Aunt C welcomed me into her home like I was already one of the family (and she even said that I'm family).  We sat and talked for almost an hour, while we waited for her daughter, son-in-law, and new grandbaby to get there.  Once they were there, I got to hold the baby and feed her...  I even managed to sing her to sleep for a couple of hours!  Being in a setting with just C, E, and P was nice.  Usually there are a bunch of people there, so I haven't actually had time to get to know Trav's cousins, one-on-one, but I got the chance today :)

After we all hung out for a while, we drove to meet up with the rest of the family for dinner.  There were 21 people, total!  Trav's brothers were there, along with their respective significant other and Trav's older brother's kids.

I always love being able to get together with his family (who I now call my second family), and tonight I got to see everyone without Travis as my back-up.  It was 100% Jessica!  We laughed and talked and goofed off for about two hours (bc there were so many of us, it did take the food a while to get to the tables).  Everyone asked where Trav was (at a monster truck show out of town) and how my mom is doing.  The fact that almost everyone asked about my mom was heartwarming.  It just made me feel good.

I need to quit typing and go to bed!  I have to sing at the early church service tomorrow, so I need sleep!  Goodnight!