Melting Pot

With our large brood all around us for the Easter weekend, I thought of the phenomena that occur when two people make a family together. 37 years ago, Ken and I got together like a nice salad dressing: oil, vinegar and a lot of spice. You have to keep shaking it to keep it all together. Our families are both Christian, but the cultures of them are as opposite as night and day. The Norton qualities Ken brought are of strong, bullish Scotch/Irish Southern stock, with stoic emotions and physical bodies that are robust and tenacious. The factors that I contributed were the sarcastic, artistic and emotionally intricate Slate genes, also Scotch/Irish but of the passionate, expressive ilk. But again, none of that is one name or one culture. Each of us also brings at least two of our own cultivars into our partnerships (our parents), so where I'm saying "Slate," I really mean "Slate + Rush."  And with Ken, there's "Norton + Goldman + Brannon." This is confusing, I know, but I find it intriguing, as I look at my siblings and their spouses and all the children we've wrought (3 of us children have produced 21 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, just from my parents). The cultures that have sprung from those three families are as different as three roads off an intersection. And now we're raising our own garden.

I believe God has purposes for all of us. Our family origins are intricate organisms that help to make or break us, and there's no rhyme or reason as to how that's going to play out. I've seen terrible parents who produced amazing, resilient children who are determined to change the world. On the other hand, I've seen really good people produce disastrous progeny. At the end of it, we all stand on our own for what roads we go down, no matter how we are raised. But my Mama would say, "Don't spoil that child, else later it'll come to haunt you." I don't think many people worry about spoiling their kids these days. Our society might have some misery, in a decade or two. Or maybe it already does.

But back to culture... when our growing, extended family gets together for holidays and such, it is an extremely raucous affair. I have felt compassion for the new boyfriends or girlfriends as they were introduced to the clan. This is no "toast" family. The introverts are thrown into the lake along with the rest, and you better hold your nose or you'll drown. Sarcasm, extreme opinions and athletic key-throwing are Olympic events here and nobody's asking permission. Now there are eight grandchildren with the same DNA coursing through their veins. It's overwhelming. After holidays or vacations, I need a riverbank and a good massage. 

Speaking of which, we are about to embark on our annual beach trip with all of them. Everyone's married and producing offspring, except our daughter. Her boyfriend is braving the trip with us, and we will see if he survives the gauntlet. He's kind, honest, trustworthy and artistic. Also introverted. We might could use an infusion of his good nature over here. I'll let you know how it goes.