Thursday, December 30, 2010

Family Week

El Semana de la Familia" or, [in English] Family Week.

That is the name I have designated for these past several days, because I have been spending a lot of time with my family,... especially my family from the other side of the Atlantic! I am so lucky to have been born from a mother who was a Spaniard. And, she was a Spaniard with several brothers who had lots of kids. So, thanks to that, I now have many, many, mucho cousins living in that country!

This week, we are blessed to have one cousin's family visiting. Pilita and Juan's clan is simply bursting with smiles, laughter and love. There are twelve of them, counting the spouse and children of the oldest daughter of the family. Twelve delightful characters, all of whom have a shadow (sometimes more than just a shadow) of my mother in their personalities. The Guibert quilt is sewn from a strong yet resilient and flexible thread.

This week, my husband and I have been a mixture of giving and getting. Tom agreed to give of his time and driving expertise and act as their personal taxi driver. [Sending out a HUGE thank you to Melissa and Liam for letting us borrow the van!] That's the giving part. I and my children who could, also contributed their time. What we RECEIVED was so much greater than what we gave! In just three days, we did some transporting, went sledding! (thanks to our recent storm), dined together, and did a bit of sightseeing in NYC. It was all fun, sure. But the best part was, every laugh, every smile, was a small piece of a puzzle, a labyrinth of family connections that brought us all closer together as a family.

Today was yet another reminder of the powerful impact that one incident can have on the world.
One day in nineteen forty-eight, my American dad met my Spanish mother. The results which followed that meeting are absolutely astounding. but that's a story for another time ....

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous11:33 PM

    Jeanne,

    Thank you so much for this warm letter. We are very lucky to have this family, because we have just received love and kindness from you. This trip has been very important for all, and especially for my parents who never came. We enjoyed a lot and hope to repeat this beautiful experience soon again. Remember your second house is in Madrid where you'll have GAZPACHO the spaniards love.
    ADIOS!!
    Ana.

    ReplyDelete

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