#idk man it’s something about rural areas in BC that just bring people together without spreading hate

[itslikejawsbutworse]

This is just a random venting post but I love how I was able to perceive the difference between my maternal and paternal families respect for one another, and in turn what it meant to TRULY love someone.

My dads side of the family was very toxic with one another, my grandfather hid a secret child (who they left in their home country when they immigrated((don’t worry we came into contact with him about 40 years later and they are wonderful people))) and my grandmother (who I truly loved but was never extremely close too) had some toxic hangups when it came to giving and/or expressing her love for us (for example hating and belittling my mom and not showing any interest or care, honestly straight up ignoring, my baby brother while showering me in gifts that, admittedly, were never in the realm of things I would use/like ex. Diamond earrings or extremely frilly dresses((I have no peircings and was extremely tomboy-ish)), my dads sister I have met maybe 3 times in my life and could barely tell you anything about her.

Compared to my maternal family it’s honestly impressive that I have never once had any questions about what it meant to be cherished and loved. My grandparents on my moms side doted on me and my brother, and all of our cousins equally, we all have personalized nicknames that we call them by (papa and hammer, when I was a baby I couldn’t say gramma so I said “g…hammer” and that’s been her name ever since lmao) and are called by them (I’m cricket… honestly love it even though it’s a bit silly). We spend every major and minor holiday with them, my mom and her sister in law (my aunt who aka is my favourite family memebr) helped raise each others children and helped overcome the loss of my uncle and baby cousin. I can’t stress enough how impactful it was to know that my mom and my aunt banded together to help take care of my aunts two young girls in the face of this loss, only for my aunt to turn around and help my mom raise me and my brother! For gods sake, I was almost born in the back of my aunts brand new sports car because the doctors didn’t believe my mom was in labour, I was very very premature, but my aunt insisted she drive her to the hospital (that’s why my middle name is her name haha) and I am very excited to have a hand in raising my cousins baby girls! We all have family reunions every five or so years and the 80+ of us will all gather and exchange birthday gifts and catch up on each others lives.

I just think that’s it’s beautiful that you can form a bond so strong with people who don’t live near you or that you rarely see, because that’s the real meaning of family. It’s not the people you have blood ties too but it’s the people you care about who step up and support you in the toughest or times.