I’m finding myself lost for words.

Today 23 members of my family got together under a cloudless sky, huddled under a gazebo to enjoy food and drink together.

The BBQ was roaring, the music blaring and the laughter was carried through the space on the subtle breeze.

My two beautiful nieces ran around entertaining everyone whilst life stories were caught up on.

The sun beat down mercilessly and yet for the first time in weeks it wasn’t a bother. I sat and watched my family together and felt happy.

Solely happy to be a part of something so big and wonderful.

The family will be growing soon. It’s funny when you are young, you think you have a big family. I have 5 cousins which is relatively small. But when you, your two brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents are all in one room the space makes the family seem enormous. As time wears on, partners enter the mix and the numbers almost double. And then came the children. Now there are three babies to be born into our large family in the next couple of months. The brood is now getting very large.

New stories. New lives. New everything.

As we were driving home. I looked up and saw the big, beautiful moon and started thinking about all the people who too would be looking up at its beauty. I wondered if they had big families. Whether they saw them often. How different peoples’ lives can be for the better or for the worse when it comes to the families they belong to.

As we drove towards that moon I started thanking the big wide universe for the privilege of being in a family like mine. Not everyone has it. Not everyone acknowledges it. Not everyone takes the time to sit and drink it all in.

Whether it’s by choice or circumstance not everyone does or can. I’m just lucky.

Photo by Dave Watson
Please check out his work on https://www.instagram.com/davewatson_uk/ or at https://davewatson1980.picfair.com