The summer months bring with it lots and lots of road trips for our family.

As we all pile into the car and set out on a new adventure, I begin to recall another time and another place.

As a kid, my family and I drove hours upon hours in the dead of winter to visit my Grandparents.  

Growing up, my family was often at odds with each other... so having my family together for these long car trips was gold.

Despite the cold seats and treacherous roads...

the second hand smoke and predictable flare-ups...

the lack of tunes or toys or distractions...

I cherished the small fleeting moments of stillness and togetherness.

In the car, there was no escape from each other.

We were finally 

contained...

confined...

and

connected.

We were in this together.

I remember squeezing my eyes shut in an effort to seal the image of our together-ness in my memory.

I knew this moment was temporary. 

I knew we would all go our separate ways in the future.

I knewthis intangible something was important.

What was I trying to capture and hold?

In an instant I knew:

Afamily...my family and something more...

I was trying to capture and hold the feeling of a family; a mixture of belonging and pride and love.

And I secretly smiled...cause while they were far from perfect...

They were mine.

And as my husband, kids and dog climb into the car for our own travels, I find myself smiling that secret smile...

cause some things seem eternal.

Despite the squabbles and stops for the dog...

the wrong turns and round-abouts...

the abundance of tunes and toys and distractions...

My family is once again...

contained

confined

and

connected.

We are in this together.

And while we are far from perfect...I smile in the knowledge that...

They are mine

and

I am theirs.