Generations

Weekly gatherings, reconnecting, replenishing, supporting. Somewhere along the way this country's culture has lost the old world's sense of family, extended family. We're encouraged to leave the nest, get a good job no matter where it might take us, let our parents spend their final days in a nursing home (lest they burden us). Our culture emphasizes the value of work.

I feel privileged to have experienced other cultures. Cultures where you work to live, not live to work, where generations gather every Sunday afternoon for a big family meal and camaraderie. They can do this because they have chosen to stay close, because they value family and history. While being so involved in each other's lives can have its downsides (think My Big Fat Greek Wedding), it also has the love, support, and community that we all need. And, where do you find better stories than those of your own family?

It takes a village to raise a child; your family is the start of your village. When we leave our families in search of greener pastures or the American Dream, we're forced to create a new village with no history or no village at all. My family didn't have much of a village; I didn't know my grandparents, and my aunts/uncles/cousins were distant acquaintances. I want this connection for my children... to know their roots, to have expectations from people other than us, to learn life lessons from many teachers. I cherish every weekend that we take the kids to grandma & grandad's house, and I know the girls cherish it, too. I don't know if we'll be able to maintain this physical proximity, but it is our goal. I want to grow old with my parents, my sister, and my kids... to instill family, unconditional family, in my children. What could be more important?