Family...it's about time

With General Conference and a family visit all in one weekend, I was set to thinking about families.

Here is more information than you might want to know:

My parents were divorced less than 10 years ago and my father remarried. Most of my siblings were angry with Dad for various reasons (remarrying one of them) and still have a hard time.

That's the background.

On Friday my DH and DS went to the BYU vs. USU football game.  They took Grandpa, (my dad) and 'step-grandpa'. 

The girls, Zach and I went with my dad's wife to her mom's and we had a girls night watching "Northanger Abbey" and "Bride and Prejudice" (India style!) and doing pedicures.  It was a nice, relaxing evening all around.

I didn't feel I was walking on egg shells, or needed to be on alert in case I offended a sensitive soul. I didn't worry about teasing and how it could be taken wrong or someone passing gossip and disparaging remarks around about someone not with us. I could enjoy the evening with my children and not worry about having to explain something later.

I didn't realize until later how comfortable the relationships are with my 'steps'.

And what a good relationship it is, too.

As we drove away from my 'step-grandparents' home, I said to DH, "Those are good people and it's too bad that my siblings are having a hard time trying.  I feel they are missing out on good memories and friends." 

It takes time to overcome hard feelings and only that person knows when it's time to move on.

It takes time to build relationships.

According to General Conference talks, we are losing time.  We need to be working on family relationships now.