At 7:45, I had arrived at the church. Pulling into the parking lot, I parked my red truck next to my parent's sedan, which was in its usual spot. THe parking lot was already mostly full.

I got out of my truck and headed inside the beautiful white building. As usual, my family waited for me just inside, by the church's bulletin board.

My mother was the first to spot me. As I approached, she gave me a hug. "Hello, Tyler!"

"Hi, Mom." I hugged her back. She wasn't the perfect mom, but I loved her very much regardless. She certainly showed more affection than my father, who only gave me a curt nod and continued to read the papers tacked onto the bulletin board.

I gave my youngest brother Jay a fist bump, but my other brother, Zack, just nodded to me. He was going through a phase where physical contact such as hugs or fist bumps were 'not cool', but I didn't take it personally as I had been through that phase as well. Madison, my younger sister, gave me a hug, and I hugged her back.

"How have you been, Tyler?" Mom asked. She was wearing a light blue dress, which matched the one Madison wore.

"I've been alright," I said, because I had been. I didn't always tell my family the truth about how I had been feeling if it wasn't good, but I could take relief in the fact that my life had been okay since I'd last been here. "How about all of you? What have you been up to?"

"We're all well," Mom said with a smile. "Zack got all A's on his latest test, Jay's basketball team just won a game yesterday, and Madison joined a debate club at school."

"That's great," I agreed, also smiling. It made me happy to hear that my siblings were doing okay. I had gone through some rougher times when I'd been a teenager, and I was relieved to find that none of my siblings seemed to be having the same struggles. In fact, they seemed to be getting along with life rather well.

My father turned from the bulletin board, and I thought he was going to greet me, but he only glanced at the large clock hanging over the doorway of the congregation. "It's nearly eight, I suppose we'd better go in."

I reluctantly followed my family into the center of the church, wishing we could have talked more before the service began.

_______________

Art credit to jpvieterry<3