Life is life... It is full of highs and lows. When it comes to family life, the variations can be even more deviant with an ‘assortment’ of personalities, if I can say that. It can be fun, of course, but it can also be harder at times than others.

Imagine living in a house with several people who are every bit a part of you yet they most assuredly behave like aliens from time to time. They are your people but who are they? I bet you all know exactly what I am talking about if you are part of any family. Sometimes it’s just harder to give thanks for family than others yet we are all thankful for family; somewhere to belong.

When you feel like you are struggling at work and you have so much going on that you stress, you feel that hard fist just holding your heart and it cannot be released... guess who you think of first to help you lift your mood? Yes, you end up turning to fond memories of the little aliens you call your children and the warm circle of unconditional love they provide.

A family sticks together, helps each other and comforts one another; that is where its beauty and strength lies. The success of a family is not about finances or money made objects. It is about caring, sharing and loving. If each member in the family were to put some time and effort into building relationships with one another, it would make a difference and it WILL make your family successful!

So as the festive season draws near, it makes sense to me that we should all work on strengthening our family bond, build stronger loving relationships and we will all ultimately have much more to be thankful for as we close the year to start a brand new one.

When you have a family, make them your priority. The definition of family is two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same place. If you share goals and values together, then it makes sense to spend plenty of quality time together, to share, talk and understand one another.

Building a family is much like building one’s faith- one has to make time for it and fellowship regularly. Bonding between parent and parent and bonding between child with siblings as well as bonding between parents with their children is what being a family is all about. In fact bonding between children and parents is very vital to a family’s lifestyle because both parties are continually learning from each other. 

Families can nurture strong bonds whether they only have one parent or both parents living in the same household. As families walk through life and experience it together, they share ideas, feelings and little bit of each other’s personalities. This understanding and feel for each other is what makes it special and strong.

Knowing that there is someone out there who cares for you no matter how good or bad you are; knowing that they will always have your back is a great reason to be thankful all the time.

It is about forging a strong family circle of bonding!