A fine line...

I’ve heard it said that there is a fine line between genius and insanity. Well most of the folks in our family have walked that line very cautiously for generations. We’ve had a few laughs about it and more than a few sessions of therapy. Karen sent me a little ornament this year that says it best. So if you think your family has problems and you are dreading the holiday dinner, or the Christmas Eve get-together, or whatever, rest assured that I understand. I seriously doubt that you could tell me anything, ANYTHING, about anyone in your family that I couldn’t match, or trump, with someone from ours. That’s the hand we were dealt.

However, I’ve also realized over the years that we are an extremely gifted group. Along with the problems of alcoholism and addictions and depression and unpredictable behavior, we have been given creativity and intelligence and the gift of gab. Our family has created six generations of writers, artists, musicians, gardeners, seamstresses, chefs, and craftsmen. We’ve even allowed a few politicians, teachers, nurses, and attorneys to sit at the table with us.

I suppose the genetic package anyone gets must have some flaws. Otherwise we’d just go around feeling proud and invincible all the time. And if I had to choose a combination I think “genius, artist, crazy person” is probably as good as any. At least our family is certainly interesting!

Our family is our gift from God. We may not always like them. We may never understand them. But we know that when the going gets rough we can pull together and find strength in numbers and comfort in shared experiences.  We can put aside our differences and do whatever needs to be done. There are members of my family I’ll probably never see again except in a hospital waiting room or at a funeral or wedding or graduation. We have separate lives and very separate values. But we will always be family. God planned it that way.

Comments

[Megan]

Great post and great perspective.

[Linda Hillin]

What a wonderful post. Describes most of us.