Right At Home

While I was on vacation, we stopped in my home town of East Lansing, Michigan.  While there, I was blessed to get together with my Dad’s side of the family.  My Dad Kenneth was the oldest of 6 children.  He died while I was in high school so getting together with his brothers, sisters, and his 96 year-old mom (my grandmother) holds special significance for me and my children. 

For my children, my uncle’s face carry a glance of my father’s, a man that I was blessed to have in my life for 17 years.  It is my hope that by seeing their eyes, hearing their laugh, and spending time with them, my kids will gain an understanding of the grandfather they will never meet on this earth. 

I get together with my Dad’s brothers and sisters every summer and each time I feel the same way.  As I look into my uncle’s face, I see the eyes of my father.  As I talk and laugh with my aunts and uncles, I remember the laughter I shared with my dad.  As I listen to their stories, and hear about the going’s on in their lives, a gentle peace settles in my soul.  I think this peace comes from understanding where I come from.  I am soothed by spending time with people that are just like me because it explains why I am the way that I am.  It explains why I think the way that I do, behave as I do, and look as I do. 

For me, exposure to my family feels like going back to my culture.  It gives me a feeling of belonging, of sameness.  I think us humans need that.  Being with my family gives me a strong sense of sameness and the confidence to be who I am, who I was created to be.