A Sunset Put My Summer Trip into Perspective

A sunset in the sky on my plane ride home.

How many different ways are there to view a sunset? On the plane ride home from my family vacation up north to visit extended family, I was immersed by a spectacular view. While watching the sunset just before 8 p.m., I found it thrilling to think about how high I was flying. I praised God for the sunset blessing, with the promise of another day. It was just me who headed back home on the plane because I had work the next day, so I took some time to reminisce about the trip.

It's sometimes difficult living in Florida while all of my dad's side of the family lives in upstate New York, especially when plane tickets are too expensive to travel there more than once a year. Since we live so far away, I always forget how large the family is. My dad has four siblings, which gives me 14 cousins. The last time I went to visit was a year ago for my grandmother's funeral, and before that, my grandpa's funeral and my cousin's wedding. Finally going back up there, just to spend time with my extended family, helped with the healing process.

My cousins from dad's side of family in New York.

It was nice to celebrate all the graduations in the family, and my cousin's baptism. It's always crazy seeing how my younger cousins have grown taller, and seeing the babies of my older cousins. We were especially happy for the beautiful weather -- 70 to 80 degrees each day. I even learned how to waterski on my uncle's boat in a lake (no alligators up there!). My favorite part of the trip was bonding with family. As I learned to waterski by continuously falling down, my family was extremely encouraging until I stayed up and faced my fears.

As with most families, even though we all get along and love each other, it's sometimes difficult to get everyone together with work, school and other scheduling issues. I have so much gratitude for my family, including my immediate family. My mom and dad have done a great job raising my two brothers and I. Hopefully, we will have more chances to spend time with our New York family.

Have you made any plans to visit or spend time with your family this summer?