My grandfather was essentially an orphan. His mother died when he was only days old and his father left him in the care of an elderly lady that he called “Grandma.” When he was thirteen his adoptive mother died and he became a ward of the court under the guardianship of an uncle. Somehow in spite of growing up in a most unusual situation he became a great man whose integrity and love were legendary. My father-in-law was raised by an uncle and then later by a group of unmarried aunts. He too is an incredible man who has never had any problems adjusting to life and forming healthy relationships with people. Then there are my brothers and I who grew up in a single parent home plagued by sporadic poverty and mental illness. Somehow we all turned out to be just fine, actually even better than fine. What was the key to all us navigating through life without major problems? I suspect that it was just plain and simple love.
We have a tendency in our society to create definitions of how things are supposed to be. We describe the ideal family as being a man and woman who are married and dedicated to one another. There is certainly nothing wrong with striving for such situations but the reality of life is that not only are there other feasible alternatives but also sometimes the so-called traditional ways of family dynamics are actually toxic. Life is far too complex to insist on easy and inflexible methods of doing things. Continue reading “Dancing Toward the Future”
All It Takes Is A Little Love 