Family Time

Well, winter break has now come and almost gone. As a college student, I am blessed with an extensive one-month long metal recovery period filled with the holidays, amazing home cooked meals, and great trips full of adventure. This holiday season was harder than others. With one of my grandparents struggling with health issues it really has put in perspective how short life truly is. It also has made me an advocate for family time even more than I was before. Every, “this day 3 years ago,” really makes me want to go back in time to hold on to those moments that at the time I took for granted. It also makes me wish that I had taken more videos, photos, asked more questions, ultimately just done more.

As a college freshman, I was so selfish. I stayed on campus I think like a little over 6 weeks without going home to spend a weekend or day with my parents. Now don’t get me wrong I was expected to show up to Sunday brunch in Fayetteville the morning after a game day if my parents were in town, but that was about the extent of my involvement with my family. It was awful. I truly regret every second of that and can only imagine how my mother felt. The truth of the matter was, at the time I thought I was cool. I was, “independent.” I was without my parents, I was, “free.” I had busied myself hanging out with friends until late on Friday nights, slept all day on Saturday and repeated the process until Monday, when I had to go to class again. But as I have gotten older I have realized that all the Friday nights I spent on campus were ultimately not worth it. The true friends I have made have been at sisterhood events, study groups, small groups, and mutual friends sitting together at Starbucks or the library. I wasted so many weekends that I could have been exploring Arkansas, strengthening my faith, and most importantly visiting my family that literally lives an hour away.

I am thankful that I am no longer the selfish college freshman that I once was. This summer even though I lived in Fayetteville and worked full time, I still made time on the weekends to see my grandparents and parents. This semester I have traded the “fun,” filled Fridays and Saturdays for trips to Texas to visit my boyfriend’s family during dove season, scouted out my family’s land for deer season and I’ve even attended a couple of my cousin’s basketball games. All in all, I would say that I have made more memories that although don’t make up for my selfishness from Freshman year, have made me closer to my family again.

So to any guy or gal going to college soon or in college now, don’t forget to call your mom, your dad, and your grandparents. One day you won’t have them to call and you will wish you did. Don’t be like me. Let them be apart of the best and worst times of your life and always spend quality family time.