Most of the definitions for family were rather disappointing when I read them this morning. They were mostly matter of fact descriptions of people grouped by marriage and blood relations. There is the nuclear family, extended family, church family and work family. Leo Tolstoy made a statement in the first sentence of Anna Karenina – ”Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.“

What struck me as a little odd was how little there was about the interactions between family members. This is where my mind has always gone, to the interaction and to a certain extent the level of expectations and the support we get from family members.

Brené Brown has some great insights and this podcast has some that are timely given our current world situation. It is worth a listen if you have not heard this one already. Her language can get a bit earthy but not in this particular episode.

These are her notes for this episode – We have collectively hit weary. This is especially true for the brave folks on the front lines of this pandemic and for the people who love and support them. And, it’s also true for all of us. In this episode, I talk about strategies for falling apart, staying connected + kind, and giving ourselves permission to feel hard things.

Stay safe, stay connected.