Family

I just finished writing a post on the new realizations I've come to in terms of friendship. I also have some observations on how moving back to Arlington Heights has impacted my view of what it means to be a part of a family.

During high school I felt pretty isolated from my family. I turned what was probably just a normal adolescent identity shift into something more. In a way, I rejected my family to embrace my faith. This only heightened during my college years. I'm not proud of the way I acted, and I'm actually very embarrassed about the fact that I saw those two elements of my life as mutually exclusive.

However, this move back into my parents' house has brought about a certain element of redemption to my understanding of who I am in my family. For so long, I saw my identity linked to church, to God, to faith, that I did not fully embrace my identiy as daughter, as sister, as family member. This time at home has helped me understand who I am more as an active member of my family and I am so grateful for that.

This time, even though I am moving, I don't feel like I'm moving away.