Families are about love overcoming emotional torture. - Matt Groening
Sometimes it's nice to just be alone. To hear what is going on in your head and not what is in everybody else's. Yet after a while, that one voice can become a bit lost, as the conversation lags without others.
On my mother's side, I have a very large extended family. And in every essence of the word, we are family. It would be very hard to imagine having a smaller pool of people to see at reunions, at events or just around town.
In many ways, they are an extension of me. There are so many experiences that I have had with these people that would be hard to recreate with others.
Recently, we were having dinner at a restaurant, and I realized that I wasn't sure what kind of drink I wanted. Having arrived a little later than the rest, every single one of my relatives offered a sip of theirs. And I willingly tried them all. Most often, I wouldn't dare, as germs and cooties are catching - but it's family.
And for me, it doesn't get much better than that.
We have gone through major events together in the past year - the death of my grandfather, weddings, births. And the thought of being together isn't at all stifling or upsetting. It's comforting.
Every family has their problems, as does ours, but we have managed to stay close through it all. And even with the passing of the two people who started such a tradition, our get-togethers haven't dwindled and our relationships have stayed close.
A couple years ago, on Christmas Day, the entire entourage was called into the hospital as we were told that my grandmother was dying of cancer. It was a very traumatic time and reality was hard to swallow. We had planned for a large family gathering at my aunt and uncle's house in Stratford. The idea of spending the holiday even a building away from my grandmother was quickly discarded. We found a large empty area in the hospital near her wing and set up shop. Casseroles and vegetable trays were quickly brought in and the holiday was spent enjoying each other's company while spending precious moments with the woman who brought us all together - and who loved family more than anything.
Those cherished times have definitely helped in molding me into who I am today, that is for sure.
When my grandfather passed away, he left many of his treasured possessions to his children. My uncle Tom received one of the most valuable of those gifts. He inherited a suitcase full of letters shared between my grandparents during their courtship. Grandpa kept them all, in perfect condition.
At a family gathering, a bunch of us stayed at the kitchen table delving into every letter for hours. Some were romantic while others were relays of the day. Some of my grandmother's letters were many pages long and had obviously been written late into the night. A few letters hinted at a romantic song that was shared between the two. It was obviously a secret, but after a few hints, we were able to figure out what hit of the '40s was their special song. "Till The End Of Time" by Perry Como. I have listened to the tune quite a few times since then.
And it has a truth about it that rings especially true for my grandparents. It also rings true for the rest of my Scott family. Although we can be loud, opinionated and occasionally we can get on each other's nerves - we will always be there for each other. While friends will come and go, it's not the same with us. And that's really nice to know.
Till the wells run dry and each mountain disappears, I'll be there for you to care for you through laughter and through tears.
- Perry Como
"Till The End Of Time"
