It is absolutely amazing to me how far reaching the branches of my family tree are. This is going to get confusing so please try to keep up.
I grew up in a house with my mother and step-father.
This was the second marriage for both of them.
My mother’s first marriage produced one child (my older sister).
My step-father’s first wife was married previously and she came into their marriage with two children.
My step-father’s first marriage produced one child (my older brother).
My mother and step-father’s marriage produced three children.
I was produced from a relationship that came between my mother’s first and second marriages.
Still with me?
My mother and step-father have been married since 1967. There were seven children in my house. Not at the same time though. By the time my youngest brother was born in 1976 the two oldest were already out of the house. I’m the middle child so I’m relatively close to the older siblings and the younger siblings. Unfortunately, the youngest siblings don’t even remember the older ones, and vice versa.
I always thought my immediate family was big. My step-father has 10 brothers and sisters. But I am finding out that the extended family is huge and I am meeting more members all the time.
My younger sister, her husband, their two daughters, my daughter and I all took a road trip to Largo, Maryland yesterday. There was a death in the family. Who died? The simple way to say it would be: my niece. The detailed description: my step-brother’s, half-sister’s daughter. Or my brother’s niece. Or my niece. I never met her family before yesterday but still … we’re family. We may not all have the same blood running through our veins but we are family just the same. My brother and I don’t have the same parents. His dad married my mom. We grew up in the same house together. Fought like siblings. Now we love and support each other like siblings – no matter what. He flew in from Texas because of his niece’s death. He called my sister and me because he needed us to be there for emotional support. So we hopped in the van and went. My brother would slay a dragon for me. And I would sacrifice anything for him.
In July I’m traveling to Atlanta for a family reunion. My biological father’s family. He passed away a few years back and I only met him once, but his people have tracked me down and want to bring me in. How cool is that? Seriously, at first I didn’t want to be bothered. However, as I get older I’m beginning to realize how important it is to actually have people that you can call “family”. It’s important to get acquainted with these folks.
I told ya’ll about the funeral I went to a few months back. Well, that funeral was for my mother’s first husband’s mother. Her ex mother-in-law. My Nana. You see, for years I thought my mother’s first husband was my father. A lot of people still think that. Talk about your family secrets.
So many people define family by clearly drawn blood lines. Well, in my case it is not always that clear. And that is okay. We are still family.
What is meant to be will be
