My family is very close – this is no secret and I’ve always known it to be true, I just don’t think I always realized that it wasn’t true for everyone. The older I am, the more people I talk to, the more I understand that we were different.
I mean, I always understood that we were the weirdos. A house full of long-haired hippies, banging on drums and wailing guitars. We were the house other kids came to for that. I just didn’t understand what that was or that it was uncommon. We were different.
What’s the difference? I guess it’s that we actually like each other. Obviously, there’s love in most families, but we LIKE one another. I have a lot of wonderful friends but, given a choice, I’d always choose my brothers and sisters over most. I think my siblings agree and that’s what makes us who we are.
It’s been a rough couple of years and I’m aware how much my clan has done to see me through. So when my teens asked to go visit their Illinois family when they could have asked for the beach, I jumped at the chance.
I love the beach, but nothing makes me feel better than recharging my familial battery. I had no clear intentions with this visit. My kids wanted to see their cousins. We brought along a spare teen who had never been to St. Louis. My mom got to see some of her kids. I went for the hugs.
I ate other people’s food, drank local beer, and sat back while we tossed around remember whens and back in the day stories. We drove through old neighborhoods and were shocked by changes. What happened to that tidy house that held eleven people? When did it get so small? Impossible! Don’t the current people have any self respect? The place is trashed! And much smaller that than I remember.
Our grandparents’ house is still neat and tidy, but it’s missing the Christ family glow that always embraced us. The library where I learned to walk while visiting my mother and grandmother at work was full of surprises. There was a display of popular local bands – most of which our brothers played with.
The best surprise of all was learning a big family secret! I, little Terri, was clearly Grandma’s favorite! When looking at their house, my sister and I were talking about our favorite parts. I spent every Friday there with Grandma and got special treats. The milkman came on Fridays and always had a little carton of chocolate milk just for me. While reading books at the kitchen table, my grandma revealed the drawer where she kept little squares of caramel. She quietly slipped these little treasures to me.
My sister knew nothing about these caramel squares. So, I polled my other siblings. No one else ever got them! They didn’t even know they existed. Out of her 39 grandchildren, I was definitely Grandma’s favorite!
Okay, probably not. It’s more likely that little nosy Terri busted Grandma getting her own secret treat and she shared, making it “our thing”. It’s very likely that we each had our own special thing with Grandma.
That is sort of the point of it all, isn’t it? Family is supposed to make you feel special and unique. Mine does, and I’m grateful to have those moments that are presented to remind me.
We’re not like most. We’re a little weird and that’s pretty great. Thanks, family.
