Time well spent

Yesterday marked another annual family Christmas party here in FL. Every year we get together to see each other, talk, play games, and just have a good time. As a first-timer I had an amazing time! Cheerful music warmed the large house as relatives arrived to decorated lights, flowers, and Christmas colors. There were probably 45 people that were scrambling around at one time, and about another 20 or 30 who unfortunately missed out this year.

I ended up meeting many cousins I’ve never met, at least remember meeting, and many of their children too. Finally, the stories of relatives “in the good ol’ days” were piecing themselves together as I met some of the participants from them. Everyone was soo welcoming and loving as our family naturally is, and I definitely felt welcome.

We had tons and tons of food which, not surprisingly, felt inadequate after a few minutes. I felt like I was experiencing Thanksgiving all over again, because Lord knows that I was thankful for all that food! Included were deviled eggs, fresh veggies, ham, grilled and barbecued chicken, peas, sweet potatoes, cabbage, corn bread, and green beans to name a few. The peas and sweet potatoes were my absolute favorites and you better believe I went back for seconds (LOL).

The night was great and after dinner we played charades and a few other games. Although a few of my favorite cousins weren’t really there we all had a great time. I always like playing around with my younger cousins and listening to them try to catch me up on their whole life before the night ends :). There was one conversation though, that was drilled to my head when it was all said and done. After listening to a few stories from my uncle Jimmy-Lee, he said, “Now you listen here. Whatever you end up putting your mind to, you make sure that it’s what you want and you don’t let anything stop you from achieving it.” He told me that nothing is impossible for me and that I can be great, but I have to really want it in my heart. “You have to be willing to go further than when it starts to get tough, and never quit,” he said. “Sometimes you have to make sacrifices that will be tough, but they’ll get you to that level of greatness that you’re striving for. Do something,” he continued, “that is yours that no one can take away from you, so when it’s all over you can say that you did that. In everything you do, you should be so determined to do your best so that every time you would feel honored to sign your name on it saying Daniel stood here, Daniel did this work.” He really spoke to my heart and just reminded me that if there is something you want, you have to set your mind on really achieving it with no compromise, and you can’t say it’s too hard I quit anytime in between. When the time comes for me to step up and dig deep, I want to say that I was able to pass the challenge!