We Are Family

Our Kids and Grandkids

In Sickness and in Health, for Better or for Worse, from This Day forward...  You recognize these words from the marriage ceremony, the day two people merge, each with his or her own emotional and physical baggage, and become one, a new family.

But in reality, that is just the tip of the iceberg. It's not just the TWO of them that is involved. It's only a matter of time usually, before the "sickness and health, better or worse, richer or poorer" refers to a bunch of other people - their kids, the assorted pets, and the people their kids bring home, and then finally, after all the practicing and development, perfection is reached, and we call them grandchildren.


Most people love their mate, more or less, depending on when you ask, and it's a bit easier to give unconditional love to your children. But even then, there are the actions, or lack of actions, habits, etc. that test the unconditional aspect at times. The point is, just as we agree on the day we become a family to accept things as they come, however that may be, we also accept our kids, working together, loving together, accepting. Siblings might not always like each other all the time, but they do generally love each other. We must trust that the people they choose to bring into the family are the best for them. It's up to the rest of the family to help this person fit in and feel the love that comes from being a part of the whole family.

The important thing is that we're family and all that this means. It's a unit, a whole glob of people in our case, and together, we get through life. I think that's what God had in mind, not just the two people joined in marriage, but the whole bunch of people that are the result, the children, the in-laws, and the grandchildren.