I guess it doesn’t seem like I have a large family at first glance. I have me, my husband and my two children. That’s a pretty average family size. Even my birth family isn’t all that big: my parents and me and my two siblings. It’s my extended family that is large, with 15 aunts and uncles, and over twenty cousins. Maybe the blessings don’t come so much from the size of our family but from the wonderful people that are in our family, and those that came before us who taught us how to care for each other. I’m referring, most directly, to my grandparents.
My dad’s parents showed us about love, passion, and how the two combine to make a strong family. They were passionately in love with each other for 50 years, and 8 children. Grandpa never lost an opportunity to show her he adored her. Knowing the passion of the two of them, I’m sure there were some bang up arguments through the years, but all I ever remember is the love that surrounded them. The example they set is something many of us grandkids have looked to as we searched for our lifetime partners.
My other grandparents were also clearly devoted to each other and also celebrated 50 years together. Although it was always clear to me that they loved each other, they did not show it as openly as my other grandparents. It was a difference between British and Latin backgrounds, I guess. Despite her quiet reserve, my grandma was always encouraging me to my dreams, and she was one of my biggest fans. She’d often write me and ask to see more of my “beautiful” writing. At first, it wasn’t the words, but my handwriting. As I began to be more interested in telling stories with my writing, she asked to read those as well. She taught me to crochet, how to make a bed, how to serve afternoon tea, and how to be a good pen pal (Sorry, Grandma, I guess I’ve forgotten too many of your lessons now. I’m a terrible correspondent these days.) My grandfather, now my only living grandparent, he shows a fierce dedication to family. It has been important to him to learn where our family came from and as a result has explored deeply into our Scottish roots. I can always picture him in his tartan, playing his bagpipes.
Both sides of my family have gifted me with a sense of heritage, tradition, and the example of a lifetime of love and devotion. I am so thankful for the way these things have woven into the spirit of our extended family. These are what keep us close, despite the thousands of miles that seperate us in our daily lives.
