pieces of Pittsburgh

I recently spent some time in the city of bridges with my sweet best friend, Adrienne, and her babies Evie & Avin. Needless to say, it was lovely and so wonderful for my heart. There's something sweet about long distance friendships - when you can only see each other every few months, you find yourself cherishing every little moment, you let even the every day chaos of screaming hungry kids in the back seat and getting lost in a new city become something to celebrate, something to savor. Life, and all the crazy moments that make it what it is, becomes rich and meaningful when the miles are finally removed between you.

 

Oh and we might have gotten tattoos together while I was there. You know, no big deal. : ) Below is a shot of mine, it's still healing but you get the idea!

One of the core values that Vine & Light is founded on is family. This trip for me reminded me of exactly why that is. This sisterhood with Adrienne and all the challenges and victories we've walked through together reminded me so much of why I selected family as a core value for V&L.

Family is one of those things that makes life sweet. It doesn't make the hard times not come around, doesn't make heartbreak sting any less, doesn't stop the world from spinning and babies from growing too fast, but it makes it all worth holding on to. Family is a reason to risk, to jump, to breathe deep. Family is a reason to keep going.

I am such a firm believer in the value of relationships and community. The friendship I have found in Adrienne is one of the strongest testaments to the rewarding nature of enduring relationships. A and I, our lives have changed a thousand ways since we met. I was only 18 then, she didn't have any babies, I didn't have any tattoos, we lived 5 houses down the street from each other... and in 5 years everything has flipped on its head. But we are both fighters, A and I. We fight for family, it's in our blood, it's the way we were raised, and so our relationship endures not because it has been easy, but because to us, it has always been worth it.

I really believe that the greatest gifts God can give you come in human form. He brings you souls to love and cherish, treasures to keep and to hold, to weep with and to dance with. Every single person in your life today is a gift beyond measure. Explore them. Learn about them. Learn from them. Commit to walking with them. Find God in them. And when things get difficult, what separates friendship from family is the choice we all have to leave or to stay. Stay.

And I love that Vine & Light seeks to honor family, to call upon those relationships we fight for, and to generate even more love and commitment to one another in the process. What a firm foundation to build upon! : )