‘Tis the Season to be Thankful – Family, Part III

Okay, okay, so I am a little SLOW here, but I did ask you to forgive me, remember?

Now excuse me, if you will, for I may be a bit delirious at this point. I won’t lie. I don’t sleep much. It doesn’t help either that poor Tomcsika suffers a stuffed nose and hasn’t figured out yet just how to be a meticulous mouth-breather (good for you!) so he just struggles a bit with the whole breathing thing. Poor “little guy.” 🙁

Family. Every day it means more and more to me. Watching our budding family grow has a way of putting my childhood and family life into perspective. I remember hearing someone say a long time ago, “once you have a child you will never sleep the same again.” Of course, that did not mean much to me back when I heard it. But now that I have kids, I GET it.

Suddenly, you begin to realize what your parents went through; you start to understand the anxieties, the joys and the ups and downs of childrearing and then, voila!, deep appreciation becomes you. But it’s not just that. You also learn that Family is there for you. The help is immeasurable. Watching grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles weave a web of support, security, advice and FUN is another joy that gives Family its real meaning (Note: historical category it is NOT!)

Nagyi, Oma, Tomcsi and Izo

I love talking with my parents, discussing life and lesser things, and benefit from their unique perspectives and Mother’s Pearls of Wisdom all the time. As an emigrant family, I have come to appreciate not just the values they have taught me that stemmed from their departure of their homeland but also the sacrifices and efforts they made to give us the life they dreamed of. By my age they had started a new life in a new world with a new language and very little else other than each other and their kids. Knowing now the madness that can ensue with little ones to take care of, it is easy to see that a family support structure is priceless.

And now that I have my own family our extended family, on this side, is slowly growing. While they will always be my parents they are now loving grandparents, filling a new role and helping out a lot. But the best part is watching them enjoy the liberties grandparenthood affords them – all the fun and spoiling and none of the fuss and disciplining. How lucky!

Papi and his little Rozi

4 generations of ladies

Kati Neni and little Tomcsi

On the larger side of the family, (larger in more ways than just one), we have uncles and aunts and cousins galore! While we are, in the long run, the furthest away from the Heffernan clan, we still manage to make our way up north often enough to watch the cousins work on mudslides together, take filthy baths together, exchange snot cooties together, feed the barn animals together and just be together. It is a wonderful sight and makes you feel warm inside to see the strong family bonds.