noun, plural fam·i·lies.
1. a. a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family.
b. a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for
2. the children of one person or one couple collectively
3. the spouse and children of one person
4. any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins
5. all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor.
Sometimes I think families get a bum wrap. Not because of how it is "defined", but because of the dynamics of the family unit.
No where in that definition does it say that a family is all pixie dust and moon beams, sunshine and lollipops, gentle breezes and cool grass. I get the distinct feeling that is what a lot of people perceive families to be or should be. I think it's borderline delusional ~ and someone is in for a rude awakening.
I don't know about you, but my family is full of meteor showers and sun spikes, thunderstorms and sour grapes, hurricanes and forest fires. I have to constantly duck and dodge the fallout, batten down the hatches, and throw buckets of water on the scorching flames. You gotta get in the saddle to tame the bronco, a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it. And during the calm from one event to another I am afforded the freedom of the sweet things in life. That is what my family is all about.
I have never promised an easy life to my kids. I've never said it will be a cake walk. But at the same time I encourage them to never give up, keep forging on and grab the gusto when you can.
But when family attacks its own, that is where I am lost. Now, I don't mean squabbles or hissy fits. Or ticked off children, or temper tantrums. I mean shaking the family to the very foundation on which it stands. Not seeing the benefits afforded to that one because of the sacrifice of the family.
An effort put out by all for the benefit of one is family. Coming together to nurture, love, hold up, and even rebuke is family. Crying is family. Praying is family. And. . . . . loving unconditionally is family.
Family is the privilege that deserves honor and loyalty. To discard it's depth and meaning is to throw away the very soul of love. How, I ask, can someone do such a thing?
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