When a family goes up, it must come down and some falls are so gentle...

Veronica and Simone

Much like me, my family is loud, obnoxious

and we all love each other so deep.

Because we are so big sometimes communication

get skewed. One thing we learned when my brother

Larry died, no matter how we feel about each other

or the decisions we make when one of us suffers,

when one of us is missing, we all suffer.

Oh we are not a perfect family, far from it.

We are like all cajun families,

we argue, fuss, laugh and love all too deep.

This post comes with my oldest sister, Simone,

known to all as "Taunt Mone" being very ill.

Although, because I am the ultimate optimist

I am also the one who can see a full picture and know

that she will pull through this but it will be a

long, long recovery.

Yet through all family happenings and things that rock our

world, we find a place in our hearts for forgiveness of all

and new beginnings. Such as I find myself this morning.

I know, for our family, sometimes it takes a tragedy

such as my big sister to be so ill to get us all

on the same page.

This morning we are all on the same page,

allowing her wonderful children to take the

lead and we follow.

I know all my siblings and nieces, nephews are

feeling the same as I.

Yet nothing makes us understand

better than a sick family member that

we must practice forgiveness every day.

All of us are so different, see the world differently.

Some of us are tough-love people

and some of us are soft-hearted "I will do anything for

you" people.

Believe it or not, I am the tough-love person

who says what she feels, sees the whole picture.

I say what I think sometimes way too bossy,

then I let it go and move forward with

full support and optimism.

I am so multifaceted that I confuse myself.

The one thing that does not confuse me is this.

Our family has been through much and we always

come out better than we were before and

our love for each of us, brothers and sisters,

nieces and nephews will never falter.

I count my blessings this morning to be part

of this huge family who is so far from perfect

but perfect in care and love for the other.