12/05/2025
When it comes to family, mine is no different than most… we love, we bicker, we’re loud, we have opinions nobody asked for, we laugh, and we hold each other up. I found out I was pregnant during a difficult time for us… right after losing my dear Uncle Kenny. Being across the country in California, I felt helpless. Fast forward, I jumped on a plane and melted into the arms of the people who raised me, shaped me, and know my heart best.
Grief mixed with first-trimester emotions was not the easiest combination but that’s literally what family does for one another. My mom kept reminding me of the beautiful parallels between loss and new beginnings, reassuring me it was okay to celebrate the little life growing inside me.
Each person in my family fuels me in their own way.
My parents ✨ are my center my strength wrapped in two humans.
My brothers 🛡️ are my shields, my protectors, my comfort.
My aunts ☀️ are my second moms, my safety net when life gets heavy.
My uncles 🫶🏾 were my first “I won’t tell your parents” adults real, honest, loving, and always ready to lecture you with a Bible verse
My cousins 🔗 are my other siblings, the ones who know every version of me and love me still.
And my nieces and nephews 🌏 my first taste of limitless love. Hearing “Auntie Moe!” a hundred times a day will never get old.🥹
We’re flawed, we’re imperfect, but when it matters, when it truly matters my family shows up. And they showed up for me. I thank each and everyone one of you for showing up for me. For holding me up through my tears and pulling up to a park in 40 degree winter weather for some photos I could share with my baby boy. He is sooo lucky, and I dream of the day he’s pointing at these pictures saying each and every one of our family members names. I am eternally grateful, and I’ll remember this moment for the rest of my days. Thank you thank you for your selflessness during such a tough time. All of my love 🩵🤍
.o.darebel
