Family time is so important

I had a conversation with an old friend recently. It was just a brief chat through Google Hangouts, but something that was said spoke volumes to me. He stated that it was time to go. Which is really not what stood out to me, but it was the statement that followed: It's family time, that rang in my head for hours after. Family time?

Obviously, he made family time a priority. This puzzled me and it should not have. This should have been the norm but in my dysfunctional life, this had never been a norm. A dad had never been a part of family time. Not when I was a child, nor when I was an adult. As a child, family time consisted of my mom and brother. It was no wonder when I grew up, I didn't notice the absence of a dad in our family time.

I am not saying we never had family time. I am just saying that it was not frequent and it was not a priority for the dad in my life nor that of my children's life. It was in that simple statement that I learned so much. Family time is so important. It doesn't have to be a big vacation or anything elaborate. It just needs to be the time you gather together to regroup as a unit. For the kids and I, it was the time sitting around the table during meals (without a book or phone in your hand). It can be at the end of the day when your child comes home after hanging out with friends and they sit on the foot of the bed and tell you about their evening. Family time can be in the car on the way to school, home or game. Family time is the little bits of time you grab in life to connect. 

Family time gets you through the loss of your loved ones, health problems, and the other things that life throws at you. It is the times that you hold dear when you are alone. Cherish your family time. It is so important, especially in the later days.