Family
“Family
is one of nature's masterpieces.”
George
Santayana
Seeing
my niece, her husband and daughter beginning life in a new home, with
all the graces and hardships that entails, feels like a gift. The
baby is teething, drooling, sputtering and gaining her legs. She
hollers like a wounded calf when her diaper is changed, and rejects
food by spitting while making a face that would wither cabbage. She
jumps in a spring-loaded contraption with such gusto that it may well
fling her through the ceiling, wearing an enormous grin that shows
her four tiny teeth and all her gums. She is a force to be reckoned
with, that's for sure. It's simply amazing that we keep creating
these incredible creatures!
Family
is something else, isn't it? One of nature's masterpieces for sure,
but sometimes, more like a Dali, or a Picasso, than a Vermeer or a
Rembrandt. Sometimes we are warped and dangerous, sometimes gentle
and encouraging, and sometimes, a confusing assortment of all. I have one friend who thinks families are responsible for all
the trouble and evil in the world, and one who thinks they are all
that matters. I think they can be both. In the case of my
great-niece, she is the light in her parents' eyes, and as determined
as hive of mad hornets to have her own way.
I
love being close enough to come check on her progress now and then. I
hope I can continue to watch her grow and change—metamorphosis is a
rapid process, and I don't want to miss a single phase.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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