For years I considered myself the "black sheep" of my family. The ex pulled me away from them, I missed family parties and gatherings, and really didn't have any kind of connection to anyone. After these last few days back with them, though, I know that's no longer the case. While things were rocky at first when I first left the ex, I was welcomed back with open arms. So this begs the question... does every family have a black sheep? Does this person know it's them?

I've always been a big advocate for forgiveness and making amends. Sometimes it's more than just saying you're sorry for something that was done or said, but truly moving forward to better things. I find that I tend to get reflective and want to apologize to people at certain times of the year or after something drastic has happened. To me, this is normal. But what does it feel like to the person receiving the attempt at making amends?

Everything I write is real and I try not to hold back. I want to tell my thoughts in a way that paints a story for the person reading it. If that helps someone come to terms with their own thoughts, then even better. But what kind of story am I painting? Will there be a happy ending?

Think back on a time when things just weren't going that great for you. Got it? Ok... where were you? What were you doing? What helped you through the difficult time? Was it a book that fell onto your lap at just the right time? Was it an album on repeat? Or a heartfelt movie that made you cry just when you needed it?

Human beings are flawed individuals. From birth we seek validation and attention from those around us. I remember watching a video in psychology class in high school (could have been sociology as I took them at the same time, but anyway) that showed the facial expressions of a child when given attention vs being ignored. The camera did not show the other person, only the baby's face was shown. When given attention, the baby smiled, cooed, and did all the things that you expect (we've all smiled at random babies before, you know the faces I'm talking about). However, when ignored, the baby cried out a couple of times as if to say "hey I'm over here!" and then their face went sad. This baby, not even able to walk or talk yet, was seeking validation because they knew that attention equals happiness.