Life is a journey filled with lots of backroads, pit stops and destinations along the way, There are people out there who just push your buttons and rub you the wrong way, and sometimes you don’t even know why. There’s the sad days where the tears won’t stop flowing, so many that you could flood the world in just one day. There’s the good days when everything goes your way, the days where life lets you smile and the road seems smooth. There’s the days when you do amazing things, feeling like you can accomplish anything. There are days when big milestones in life pass, and you count the days until the next one comes. Each day of your journey has something new in store. Changes take place, time keeps passing as you reflect on your journey thus far. Life is full of variety, mixed with people and places who leave, some of which we see again, and some of which become a mere memory.

The one thing that never changes in my journey, the one thing I can always count on, is my family. They are there to protect me from the bad and defend me from the evil. They are there with a bucket in hand to catch my tears, and a warm embrace to reassure me that, this too will pass. They are there on the good days, and they are there on the not so good ones. They are there to celebrate with me when I succeed, and they are there to congratulate me and tell me how proud they are when I thrive, when I do amazing things. They are always there. They love me unconditionally, even on the days where I make it impossible for them to do so, and especially on the days where I make easy. They never judge me for who I am or the choices I make, and they always, always support whatever it is I’m doing in life, even if it is not what they’d prefer for me or themselves.

My family has showed me what the true meaning of life really is, what makes the journey worth it in the end. They showed me that no matter where the road leads, however many bumps, forks or traffic jams there are, the only thing that matters is that when you get where you set out to go, you are happy, and you know that the road keeps going on even after you pull over for a little while. They have showed me what it means to love, and to be loved, and how important both of those things are. They have helped make me who I am and continue to do so each and every day. My family is the constant in my life, the thing that is there when I close my eyes and is still there when I open them again. They say you can’t choose family, and for that I am grateful, because if I could in fact chose my family, I would pick the one that I already have right beside me. I wouldn’t trade my family for the world, and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world being able to call them mine.

Thank you for being my rock, my inspiration, my biggest support system and my number one fans. I can’t wait to see where the road takes us next, hand in hand, moving forward together. I love you guys, forever and a day, to the moon and back.

With endless love,

Your niece, daughter, cousin, granddaughter and friend, Caitlin