Photo by MarahGrant Photography
It was a crazy, busy summer, which should explain my lack of posts. I was off living and making memories with my family. My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August so there was a family party at Myrtle Beach for a week, and then an open house for them in New York State. Both events were wonderful! But at the open house I was able to see many family members I haven’t seen in a long time. I have cousins and aunts and uncles I don’t know very well, and others I do know pretty well, and it was very cool for me to see everyone in the same place for a couple of hours.
I have to admit to having a few moments of looking around and thinking to myself, “These are my people,” and being immensely grateful for my family. But there were also those moments that you shake your head at.
I got to talking to one of my cousins, who I know pretty well and who is also single. She and I were talking about the family––OUR family––and wondering: if we each had a guy in our lives, how would we prepare them for the family? (Sounds kind of Mafioso-ish I know.) No matter how much you say you are marrying the person and not the family, I have found that isn’t exactly accurate.
Consider Mr. Darcy who found Elizabeth Bennett most attractive, but had to ponder the dilemma of Elizabeth’s mother not just once, but several times because he knew marrying Elizabeth meant time spent with Mrs. Bennett. Mr. Darcy finally became convinced that Elizabeth was worth tolerating Mrs. Bennett for short periods of time. We should all be as fortunate as Elizabeth to find a Mr. Darcy who will not only love us, but also accept our family! My cousin and I were considering how a singles ad would read if composed from the perspective of preparing our prospective mates for our family. This is what we came up with:
Wanted – Single man in want of a wife!
~You must be emotionally mature, proficient in the kitchen and subject to mild bouts of pyromania.
~You should be open to occasional family gatherings with moderate to large amounts of crazy; you should also be prepared for open and honest dialogue as there ain’t no passive-aggressive in this family - it is pretty much all out there on the table.
~It would be helpful if you like music and can sing off-key; it is also helpful if you understand sarcasm and speak movie-quotes.
~Ideally, you should be able to follow several threads of conversation at the same time, leap from topic to topic in a single bound, and be comfortable in conversations about essential oils, theology, and following a gluten-free diet.
So
if you love adventure, need a little crazy in your life, and are okay with quick
wit, lively conversations, and unconditional love, then maybe this is the
family for you.
