Whew.

Holy moly, shits been heavy.

With my beloved Aunt's passing and my baby brother leaving for more training and Afghanistan, I have spent the last few weeks letting everyones emotions pack into mine as I've struggled through the tears and stoic smiles. It's been a burdensome trial that has actually left me feeling more blessed than ever to have such a close, amazing family to stand beside.

To outsiders, it is so hard to explain how or why I feel so obligated and attached to my family. It seems that most people can only handle their families in small doses while my family is always figuring out when we can get together again.  To know that, is a very nice feeling.

Tragedy brings people together and makes a person stronger.  In it's wake we watch the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, or Chris Farley's best of Saturday Night Live.  We laugh, we tell stories, play games, crack cases of beer and pop bottles.  In tragedy, we celebrate our family, our love, our memories.

Today, I finally feel lighter and what can be better than that?