I got an email this week from a cousin of my mother's--the last time their families saw each other was around 1960. She sent this photo of my grandfather (center) his sister and brother (to his right) and his parents (to his left). She also shared stories about her side of the family as well as stories about her parents and my great-grandparents. I love finding family members like her, people who are interested in the story and can tell the story without judgement. In other words, she can talk truthfully about the good and the bad in the family.Every family has good and bad. It is the opportunity offered by the holidays to celebrate the good, accept the bad, and realize the line between the two is more thin than you might want to think.
The timing of the contact from my second cousin was God-inspired. The month of November, as the pregnancy became more real (almost 18 weeks now!) , I've been internally contemplating what it means to be a parent and how I will know what "to do" as a mother. When talking with my brother about it last night, he encouraged me to look forward to every moment and then the details will somehow fall into place.
2 comments:
Kathryn: How lovely to see this photo on your site. The truth that all families have positive and negative aspects is something we all need to embrace. It is who we are! I'm glad that we have met and look forward to our continuing friendship. From your 2nd cousin once removed (I now know that thanks to Doug), Nancy.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Kathryn.
Nancy's words are so true; every family has positive and negative aspects. The struggle for me has been to make something positive of the negative things, and embrace it. I know you'll be a wonderful mom, and I'll pray God help you see that and not worry too much.
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