Family time gone right.

First day of the week- woohooo!!! I LOVE Mondays. I'm sick, i know. ;p
I'm sitting in the cafeteria at school, reflecting on the beautiful day I shared with loved ones. Yep, coffee is in hand! (Bio lab on Monday mornings is the best class to start the week with; if we happen to finish the lab early, we are done with class. So i was out of bio by 9:30 today instead of 10:40- WIN!) Every year, there is a Carpenter picnic at Kennywood Park. It tends to fall on a Saturday so my work schedule has kept us from going, however, Harry is able to pick up 3 free tickets, as well as discounted tickets and free meal tickets. Schwing! The expiration date on our free tickets was winding down, so we went with my cousin Dawn Marie yesterday. What a freaking blast! Dawn and I have always connected; we genetically favor similar family traits, have sinilar attitudes & personalities, and are close in age. But another aspect of our closeness is that we have the same family ideals. When we were younger, our family was significantly closer; holidays, picnics, birthdays- everything was done together. But as we started to lose some of our beloved elders that instilled these traditions and values, our families started to separate. The biggest problem i see now is that each sub group (family member + spouse or significant other + children), has become so consumed by their own personal issues, most self created, that they tend to forget about the entirety of their family line. Thankfully Dawn Marie and i don't enjoy this at all and are trying our best to get people together more, or at the very least, with each other. And amidst all the family frustrations and sadness and separation, that is a big beam of light!!! Because despite certain events and times, i LOVED my childhood. Or to be specific, the time i spent with my family. Genuinely, deeply,  i love my family memories. And because we can't change the past, nothing will ever change that joy. What i CAN change, what i NEED to change, is my part in keeping my family together. Can i miraculously keep everyone tightly knit at all times and single handedly bind broken ties? Nah. Not a chance. But i can make a positive effort, no matter how big or small, when the chance arises. The Ninnesses, the Hoerrs, the Morgans, and the Hergenreders may never beat as one heart, but i can do my best to show them the love that is possible in a family; to inspire them to love more.
The more we continue on our journey of trying to conceive, the more i focus on family. I want to get some magic happening before baby hergy steps into this world!
What is one positive thing you can do for a family member today, or your family as a whole, to show them the love that is possible in our lives?