Today, Show Up – How My Family Has Prioritized “being There” And How It’s Affected My Life For Good

A photo posted by Sean Lowe (@seanloweksu) on Mar 21, 2016 at 4:25pm PDT

CAPTION: Celebrating my big sis @mixandmatchmama at her book signing tonight. She may be old and uncool but she knows how to cook.

When I was growing up, my parents never missed one of my games. From little league baseball to college football, they were always there. When my sister ran marathons, the entire family would show up wearing “Team Shay” t-shirts. When my niece has a dance recital or my nephew has a t-ball game- we show up. When Catherine was baptized, my entire family (grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins, everybody) was sitting in the front pew. When anyone in the family celebrates a birthday, the whole family is there.

This is how my family has always operated. Next to faith, we value family more than anything else. When I was a kid, I’m not sure I fully appreciated it, but now that I’m older I realize more and more just how special my family dynamic is.

I was reminded of this fact when Catherine and I drove to Grapevine, a Dallas suburb, Monday night to watch my sister at her first book signing. Shay recently had two cookbooks published and she had arranged a book signing at a little gift shop in downtown Grapevine. In typical shay fashion, she didn’t want my family to make a big fuss about it so she didn’t tell anyone about it except my parents. Well, my mom didn’t exactly keep the secret so she told me and my grandparents about it as well.

As Catherine and I showed up to the gift shop, we see a line of her loyal blog readers anxiously awaiting their turn for an autograph and picture. And of course we were greeted by my parents and grandparents too. It was a really cool moment for me to be able to see the manifestation of her years of hard work on her blog and cookbooks there in person. I was a proud brother and I was really glad Catherine and I decided to sit in rush hour traffic for an hour and a half just to watch her sign books and take pictures. And even though Shay didn’t want to make a big deal of it, I could tell she appreciated us being there.

So what’s my point? My point is whether I know it or not, my family’s relentless love and support for one another has made the biggest impact on my life. I believe the simple act of just showing up has made me a better person. And this is the biggest legacy I want to pass on to my son or daughter. No matter what they pursue in their life, their family will be there with them cheering them on.

Here are her new books, in case you missed the book signing!

Mix-and-Match Meal Planner: Your Weekly Guide to Getting Dinner on the Table