Family Comes First -- Enjoy Them All!

so... today I am writing this blog from home. Yes, it is an absolutely gorgeous day and I really need to get some things done while I'm at home, but I would normally be at work during this time of the day anyway, so... first things first... I need to get a little "work" done at home. Enter: THE BLOG...

Working from home is tough in its own right. It's so hard for me to stay on-task with so many outside distractions (and I do mean outside.... Did I mention it's a really, Really, REALLY beautiful day?) Besides, the distractions that're waiting for me "on the inside" are so easily ignored! (dusting, dishes and laundry...ugh. Need I say more?) OOOOOH... I really hate laundry! grrr... a job that never ends! Maybe, for me, staying on-task is just difficult in general... again, another story for another day! :)

So, the reason that I'm home today is because my oldest child is home sick... anyway, she told me she's sick -- the jury is still out... because she's in a really good mood! Maybe she just loves her momma! (ehh... I suppose I shouldn't speak for her... she'd probably say that it depends on the day!) At any rate, she did get me thinking about a few things. Namely: Family comes first! Luckily for me, I work with family, too, so work and family really have no distinctive separation in my life. Plus, the jewelry store is so much a part of me that I don't think that I could separate it even if I tried. Now, whether or not I consider it to be as real as a family member, that's tough to say, but I do love my job quite a bit. Plus, it puts food on our table and allows me to take my kids to the doctor when they really are sick! I love my job so much, that sometimes I really hate being away from the store.

This past week, I've been hit with the thought of "putting family first" from all over the place. Maybe someone's trying to tell me something??? I've been reading a pretty darn good business book written by Gary Vaynerchuck about how to use the computer to reach more people (ie: THE BLOG). And his first order of business is to make it crystal clear (as in sparkling diamonds???) to every reader that he believes that you should enjoy your family first. Love the heck out of them. That makes everything else make sense -- obviously. And last week, I had the privilege to see soldiers happily reunited with their families. (THANK YOU!!!!! I'm so proud of you & your work!) Again, a perfect example of how important families are! Without them, jobs are meaningless. And just today, I spoke with a sales rep. who travels 8 months out of the year and is away from his family all that time... how difficult it is for him to have to talk to his kids on the phone to find out how their day went or to miss a school event or even a birthday.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in our day-to-day lives, family is the one thing that gives us meaning. So having to stay home one more day with my lovely daughter is really not a bad thing. And don't get me wrong, I'm not upset... I love my kids way too much! :) Sure, I am missing my customers and not getting to the piles of work sitting (or more like, balancing precariously) on top of my desk, but I do know what's important -- even if it is just a little sore throat! I love my kids and the rest of my family, too! And, I do love every minute spent with them!

Thankfully, family is there to cover us at work in times when we do have to be away (Thanks, Steen). And family is there to help out when we need extra hands (Thanks, Mom & Dad). And family is there to support your decisions and to pick up the slack when we're away from them (Thanks, Shannon). And family is there to create a pathway in which we can always stay connected with the past (Thanks, Grandpa & Grandma for showing me your love of the jewelry industry). I can go on, but I'm getting to the end, I think... don't give up yet... we're almost there! Oh... guess, that means we're going on.... (sorry, just a little distraction for me)

Luckily, my passion is my family's business -- and who better to share that passion with than my family?! Family also includes the girls that work (& have worked) at the store, too! They do so much... where would I be without them? It's especially scary when Kiley knows exactly what my little abbreviated notes actually mean -- most of the time, she knows what they mean better than I do! Unbelievable! And family also includes my customers and the people who allow us to open our doors continually132 years and counting! Amazing! They even know what my phone messages really mean to say when I get to talking about something else -- remember how I said it was difficult to stay on task?! Yeah, well... sometimes that happens when I'm speaking with my customers, too. And I am so fortunate that they have the patience to put up with that! THANK YOU! (notice how I just assumed my way into your family? Things could get real interesting, real fast! heheh) And the community -- we've been lucky enough to be a part of downtown Kearney ever since dirt roads and horse hook-up posts were considered "main street."

So, go enjoy your family a little extra today. Just because you can! Plus, it's a really, Really, REALLY beautiful day! :)

And... if you're family's anything like mine... they can make you smile or even laugh out loud just thinking about them... At the very least, a shaking of the head and an eyeball roll! Every family's got at least one of those guys. In my family, "one of the guys" happens to be me! ;)

Have a great...
Erika