Family, worth the effort

A couple weeks ago my grandpa and his wife were in a very serious car accident. It happened in Midvale, Utah which put me at being the closest relative on my grandpa's side of things. I went to the hospital to visit them. I was prepared to see them pretty beat up, but I was not prepared for the emotional toll the family aspect would take on me.

My grandparents have been divorced for well over 20 years. My grandpa has been married to his wife Laree for about 20 years. As I walked into the room to see Laree, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I was walking into a room full of strangers. People who were related to me by marriage, who had been related to me for many years, but for all intents and purposes were complete strangers to me, filled the room and weren't able to offer me any comfort. I almost burst into tears right there. Luckily I managed to contain the tears. Talked with everyone, got to know them a little bit, got updated on the situation and took it like a big girl. That didn't make it past the doors of the hospital when I called my mom to give her an update and just cried and cried about the situation.

Family is obviously more than a marriage certificate. Family takes work. It takes work on both sides. It takes two people to make any kind of relationship. Our two families have not put in that effort and for that, we remain strangers. We'll probably continue to be strangers, but it did make me appreciate the family relationships I do have. I'm grateful for the camping trips, talent shows, silly songs, and miscellaneous life events that have kept us together and made us a family.