Family Ties

In recent weeks I have had the distinct pleasure of spending some true quality time with my family. From a 60th birthday party to a Bar Mitzvah, a trip to Disney World and a special weekend visit, each event has left me feeling especially lucky and proud.

We are a family that is composed of very unique individuals and certainly NONE among us is particularly timid, but at the end of the day there is never a doubt that we are one very loud, loving and quirky clan. Attempting to list and detail the specific individuals in my family would take a novel (not a blog) to complete. But certainly I can give you a feeling for what their united presence in my life means to me.

My family, well, it consists of parents, children both young and old, aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws. There are people of all sorts of religious affiliations and certainly very varied political views. We live throughout the country, from North to South and East to West. We have foreign born members stemming from a variety of countries throughout the world and of course some pure bred “Yankees” amongst us as well. We have children and grandchildren of both Holocaust survivors and American soldiers alike. I have “Aunts” that were never truly mine, but are absolutely mine all the same. I have cousins that are my "Uncles" (and would have it no other way) and I have in-laws of cousins that are as much mine as the blood lines themselves.

We are each very distinctive personalities in our own right, but ultimately we are united by a bond even greater and more unique than the individuals themselves. In a family with such a panoply of unique personalities and character types, there are sure to be times when these personalities collide, and collide mightily at that! We are, for the most part, quite a loud bunch; few amongst us willing to allow our frustrations and disappointments with one another to go unrecognized. But even when there is strife amongst us, and it is difficult to deal with one another, we somehow stick it out and allow the bonds of family to pull us back together. I often like to say, “Thank G-d we love each other enough to fight.” I have noted many other families who are quite cordial at all times with one another. There is never any arguing or anger of any sort and it all seems very pleasant. However while those families lack the passionate discord that can sometimes be experienced in my own, they also miss out on the fiery love that we share as well. It has been said that the opposite of love is not hate, rather it is apathy. Amongst our wonderful clan, apathy is the last thing you will ever find.

Family get-togethers in my home are nothing short of hilarious. We each participate in our own way, never allowing any one member to go unrecognized, or for that matter, unscathed! We absolutely love to poke fun at one another and revel in our long standing family jokes. Somehow, they just never seem to get old. We laugh heartily as we intensely enjoy being together, and as in any “Good Jewish Family” there is always plenty of good food and drink to go around.

We laugh and we cry, we hold each other up when the weight of the world comes crushing down on any one of us. If there is any one absolute that can be relied upon with Swiss-watch-precision, it is that when you are a member of our clan you are never alone. We have been there for one another in the worst of times and have rejoiced at the best of times. We are deeply committed to and protective of one another and are able to truly appreciate the good times that we share. Holidays, of every variety are celebrated with tremendous joy and unmatched enthusiasm. Little gives the “elders” in our clan more joy than to watch the traditions and values of our family being passed on to the youngest amongst us. Some of us (ehem) are often driven to tears as we delight in it all. I am truly blessed to be a member of this incredible family, and never feel as loved as I do when I am with them.

As I grow older I appreciate more and more, not only the good times that we currently share, but the many years of shared family times that were unknowingly gifted to me in years past. I am, very much, a product of my family. Generations of Goldsammlers, Duboffs, Katzs, and Cohens are the foundation on which my entire self is built upon. This does not define me; rather it gives me the strength to allow myself to seek out the true me. I am a woman with the strength of survivors pumping through my veins and the joy of tradition and song flowing through my heart. I am, what I am, because I know from where I come.

Basically, I would define my family as extraordinary, loving, supportive, unique, and yes... maybe even a little loud; but so what? It's who we are! Why?... YOU GOT A PROBLEM WIT DAT?!?!