Keeping It Real: Thirty Days of Thankful

Day 6 - Today I'm thankful for ohana. I know you've seen Lilo and Stitch so you know "Ohana means family". And I know I've been sharing my thankful-for-family posts for the whole last week. But today I'm thankful for everything else that ohana includes for me.

I'm thankful for my mom and dad, my brothers and sisters, my grandparents, my in-laws and nieces and nephews. The whole fam-damily. When we left Utah a little over five years ago the absolute hardest part of our decision was accepting the idea that we would be physically distancing ourselves so much from family. The first year we lived in California we made the 600 mile trek to or from Utah NINE times just to be with our extended ohana for holidays and important family events. Obviously when we moved to Hawaii in 2008 we had to accept that with an even greater distance and much more expensive mode of travel to get back to Utah, that our visits back "home" were going to be limited. Gratefully many of our family members have been able to come to us and visit (and experience Hawaii!) while we've been here and that helps lift the weight of being so far away. I suppose I ought to tack on how grateful I am for texting, Facebook and email at this point, too, because those things have really helped as well! I'm more grateful for my extended ohana than I could even begin to explain. I love them. They're such an important part of who I am.

Ohana to me includes so much more than just blood and marriage though. We experienced such an amazing acceptance in California and then again here in Hawaii when we went to church and established ourselves as active members of the congregation. Our church ohana has made all the difference in our sense of belonging, and I am so grateful for these people who stand in place of my blood relatives while we're apart and give us love, support, prayers, service and friendship. I consider my church ohana to be one of my greatest blessings.

I'm thankful for ohana (in all its forms).