Family

This past week my grandmothers partner passed away. I say partner because Jim O'Loughlin was not her husband or her boyfriend, and he was more than just a friend. Grammy aptly called him her partner, and the rest of the family agreed.

When he passed I got to witness what it's like to live near your family. When crisis hits, who sounds the alarm, who makes the call, who responds. In this case we all did. With the advent of my sister moving north from San Diego- there were many hands to be on deck when my grandmother called. We appeared to handle paper work, to book churches. We appeared to clean the house, to cook for guests, to arrange flowers. We appeared to sing at his funeral, to take up an entire pew with our bodies, to support my grandmother in whatever she needed.

That, I thought to myself all weekend, was why I moved home. That, I thought to myself, is what life is really about. It's about relationship. It's about showing up when the call is made. When you are needed. When you are called upon.

I didn't have to book a flight, or worry about whether I'd miss it because of the weather in Chicago.

I, along with the rest of my family, heeded the call, came together,  and out of support and love we became partners, more than just friends- we are family.