According to Aristotle, humans are social animals and hence seek the companionship of others. The first tribe or community we belong to when we come to this world is our family. For most of us, it is at home that we are first taught how to interact with the world and its creatures around us. I have a very strong connection to my nuclear family. But I sometimes asked my mother if I had been switched up at the hospital where I was born. I didn't always feel like a belonged and what spoke to me left most of them indifferent... I couldn't enjoy the conversations that were held and would take refuge in my room and with my books for quiet time. I have to say my parents and siblings have always respected my boundaries and looking back at all the times I was rather offensive to their beliefs and behavioral systems, I am amazed at their tolerance toward me... Not that I would want to disrespect their opinions on a specific matter. I just expressed mine with no restraint. I took what they said with reservations and held my tongue to avoid a big clash when I didn't feel like bickering. Because we love each other, we fight, and get loud, and sometimes crazy, but at the end of the day, blood doesn't turn into water as the popular adage goes, so we reach out to each other and make sure that our love for each other prevails. That's what mom and dad always reminded us of and still recommend that we never go to sleep if we were upset or angry with each other.
I am often asked why I don't have portraits or pictures of my parents and siblings hanging or displayed in my home. I find the concept of pictures of loved ones in one's purse or on one's walls unnecessary. I keep the people in my heart and in my thoughts at all times. Besides, I know what my family looks like. And I am lucky to live in the same country as they do. Lebanon being such a small country, I can visit and hug them whenever I feel like it. They are about an hour's drive away. Throughout my life, I have faced many obstacles and surmounted many difficulties. But I know I couldn't have made it without the love of my parents and my siblings. This smallest circle of mine has always been my anchor and my strength. It's true that I have mostly dealt with my issues myself. Yet, I knew I had a supportive clan I could fall back to and that would never let me down. Regardless if they agreed with me on what I was doing or on the decisions I made, my "peeps" had my back. Always. We might argue after the problem would be resolved about the way it could have been addressed and it was always enriching for me to listen to their feedback. I don't have to acquiesce to their ideas. I am the one in my shoes and walking my path. It just invariably broadened my horizon of judgment to listen to them. Because of our love, respect is inevitable and we help each other out when needed. And they also know I would go out of my way for them should they ask for my assistance...
Quotes and sayings about family:
Family is the most important thing in the world - Princess Diana
Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: whoever you are, you need one - Jane Howard
In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony - Friedrich Nietzsche
Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home - Anthony Liccione
I sustain myself with the love of family - Maya Angelou
Families are like branches on a tree. We grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one - Anonymous
Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights and our comfort when we occasionally falter - Brad Henry
At the end of the day, I am blessed and forever grateful to have learned to appreciate my family and to have enlarged the small circle of my parents and siblings to a few more people I can rely on. What about you?
