I don’t care how poor a man is; if he has family, he’s rich.

I had this past summer all planned out — I was going to work my internship at the St. Clair Times and in my free time I would hang out with all of my friends that I haven’t seen or talked to over the past few years. If there is one thing I’ve learned in life it is that plans never work out.

I spent most of my summer working at The St. Clair Times. Some days I would come in early to get started on a story or to meet with someone…other days I would work late because I would have to attend city council meetings. I learned a lot that summer, and I put myself one step closer to a career in journalism. I didn’t make any money though, and my internship drained my bank account.

Since I wasn’t bringing in any money, I was unable to hang out with my friends as I had planned. I basically went to work and came home for the night. I still haven’t really been able to catch up with old friends, but I still plan on it! I found myself spending a lot of time with family though this summer.

I was able to see most every member of my family one way or the other. I went to two family reunions, family from out of state visited, and I was able to get closer to my immediate family. I know that it may not sound like the most interesting summer, but it turned out to be one of my favorite summers.

I see myself as a family person. I value the family that God chose for me, and I want to take every opportunity given to me to learn from them.

This past month I lost one of my uncles after an 11-year battle with cancer. My Uncle David was an amazing man who always made sure that he took the time to sit down with you to talk and find out what was going on in your life. He was an unselfish man, and express generosity towards everyone that he came into contact with.

My Uncle David and Aunt Becky, along with their two daughters (cousins) and their families, are all from Texas. It’s not very often that I get the chance to spend time with them. My aunt and uncle were able to make it down this summer for quite some time, and I was very thankful that I was able to spend time with them this past summer.

I can remember my uncle this last summer pulling me off to the side to get that one-on-one conversation that he was so good at. We talked about college, my future career, sports…we just talked about life. I always loved talking with him, because his conversations were always entertaining and humorous, but there was also so much knowledge to possess from him.

His funeral was held in Texas. I traveled with my dad, step-mom, sister, uncle, aunt, and cousin out to Texas for the services. It was good that we could all make it out there to be with my Aunt Becky and the rest of the family. I have been wanting to take a trip to visit them all, but I never wanted it to be this way.

The trip turned out to be good, because I feel like it brought all of the family closer together even through this tough time that everyone was going through. It was nice to reconnect with family members that I haven’t seen in years. It was a long ride there and back with my family in a crowded mini-van, but I don’t think that there could be anything that would make us get tired of each other — we always seem to be so happy around each other and get along like a family should.

Always take the opportunity to spend time with your family if the opportunity is presented to you — I guess that is the message that I’m trying to pass on. I thought I was going to be going out every night during the summer with old friends, but instead I was reunited with family members. I couldn’t have asked for anything more that summer.

Families are like fudge — mostly sweet with a few nuts. Just remember that your family is a gift to you from God. Sometimes we may find members of our family crazy, but you still love them because they are family! They have so much to teach us if we will just take the time to learn from them.

MDavidScott