November 5th – Family

The words of wisdom for today are attributed to Clara Ortega.  Unfortunately, I did not discover anything definitive on her, other than she obviously had a deep connection with and appreciation for  her siblings,  as this was not her only family quote.

“To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other’s hearts.  We share private family jokes.  We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.  We live outside the touch of time.

– Clara Ortega

I grew up at a time when there was respect for family, for parents, and for each other as siblings.  I have one brother and four sisters, all older than me.   My two eldest sisters and my brother were all grown and gone by the time  I was eight, but we were family.   They returned home frequently, their own families in tow.   As we all aged out of the family home, we went our separate ways, but we kept in touch and  reunited  for weddings, funerals and the like.

My family was not perfect.  None of us, as individuals were perfect.  But we were family.  Nothing could, or would, ever break that bond.   We shared joys and grief, chicken pox and measles, family trips, and countless meals.   We have had our fair share of disagreements, feuds and the like.   But we forgave and we moved on.  We were separated by distance  or circumstances, but in our hearts we were always family.  Even now, our parents and our family, lives on.

We share family jokes and family memories.   Who could ever forget the feasts  that Mother would prepare, the jigsaw puzzles that we assembled together, the countless Scrabble Games, or badminton matches,  the Christmas that little Brigette plugged in the wagon lamp? (The cord was not yet attached to the lamp. 😬).    Or, the day the wheel fell off Lorraine’s car, to be followed by the wayward boiled eggs falling off of Mother’s kitchen cupboard.   (I can’t believe she found that more annoying than humourous. 🤭 ).   We all remember  midnight masses, family evening prayers, and  weekday masses where us girls  wore makeshift ‘hats’.   In recent years, I found one of those ‘hats’ preserved in the family bible. 😂. We share a lifetime of memories unique to our family, because they were shared as family.

Thank you Clara Ortega, for reminding me of my family, all family – parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews.  Thank you for reminding me of a past filled with stories of ancestors and family history.   

Today, there are so many who place little to no value on family.   There are too many who would rather go it alone, than accept the past, resolve differences, forgive and move on. There are too many families that have been torn apart by those who were welcomed into the family.    It is hard to believe that there will ever be Peace on Earth, while so many families remain angry, indifferent,  abandoned and estranged.   

That is it for today.  As always, all comments are welcome and appreciated.

Take care and have a great day! 💞