Family: a strange band of characters

     

     

     "The family — We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." 

  — Erma Bombeck     

     Believing strong families are essential to society is perhaps why our Premier Christy Clark proclaimed the second Monday in February as our B.C. Family Day Holiday. 

     In our busy lives, we too often, take our families for granted. You've heard the cliche... "Families that 'play' or 'pray' together, stay together."  
  
     

     Having been born into a large family and marrying a spouse with an even larger one, I have been engrossed in a world of kinfolk. 

     A study was done regarding families, by Marshall Duke, a psychologist at Emory University, in the mid 1990s. He found that children who have the most self-confidence, have a strong intergenerational self. They know that they belong to something bigger than themselves. 

     Passing on family traditions conveys a sense of history as new chapters are added to their life stories. Outward appearance of families is changing in the 21st century, and so are the morals being taught. Whether a part of a biological family or otherwise, sharing unconditional love is what's important. 
     Families can be complicated. Unfortunately deep hurts can spoil relationships. I was blessed to be born into a traditional family open to life, and was taught God-given truths about the importance of faith, love and family. Values such as: respect for others, forgiveness, respect for the property of others, a strong work ethic, telling the truth and, showing love, empathy and kindness towards others. 

     

     Many of these values are laid down in the Bible's Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), which I believe, are somehow written upon the human heart. Those who have not grown up in a traditional family have had to learn values, often the hard way. I am confident, though, there are many parents teaching their children traditional values, just like my parents taught me. 
     As these values become an integral part of our character, and as we pass them on to others, we are helping future generations with God-given tools, necessary for a better tomorrow.  

     Barbara Bush has been quoted as saying, "To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there."  

     This was the picture of our family recently, as 11 of us (five absent for various reasons), gathered for the second Family Day weekend at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Vancouver. As the matriarch of our family, I was showered with love and attention, as together, we celebrated my birthday. 

     Our weekend, beautifully summed up with these words, appearing on a card from Marian, a special member of our extended family: "Life is a beautiful tapestry — a patchwork of stories filled with laughter, smiles, and the wonderful memories we keep in our hearts forever."    

     "Family is not an important thing. It's everything."  

— Michael J. Fox