Somebody else's eyes

This weekend my family and I took a trip to Munich to go to a wedding. My sister's fiancé (only 3 more weeks!) and my best friend came along. All cramped in one car we took the ride. We listened to old music from when we were in our teens, sang along and realized some of the lyrics and how not so great they were.
The trip was beautiful and fun and we laughed and all had a great time.

This weekend I again was amazed by how wonderful my family is. Sometimes you just have to see things through somebody else's eyes. Put yourself in their situation and watch it from the outside. And all of a sudden it all became more beautiful. And in viewing it from somebody else's perspective I started seeing myself as a result of my family. The influence they have on me. The way they shaped me by doing things a certain way. They always encouraged me to walk with my eyes open and really see things. Appreciate the beauty of a drive. Appreciate God's creation. They shaped my strong interest in history and culture and people.
We have taken so many roadtrips together and they left their fingerprint on my life. When I was little I used to complain about driving so long, wanting to go outside. Now I am thankful to be driving through the Austrian and Swiss Alpes, taking detours just to see beautiful things. I am thankful to take a couple of extra hours in order to visit castles and learn about history.

Now my eyes are open and I see God's creation and I am thankful. My eyes are open and I see my family for who they are and I am so grateful for how special and crazy and different it is. Now my eyes are open and I want to know more about history and culture and people.
Sometimes all it takes is to see things through somebody else's eyes to appreciate what is given to you in your life.

xoxo

Ramona