Their are Citizens' Rights. And Then There Is the Family Credo

Does your family have a credo that defines you? More or less, even if we are alone, we do.

Sometimes it just defines us. More welcoming, more warming, is when it defines family, either big or little.

From my grandparents: Don't lie. Do honest business. Always wear good, well-cared-for shoes (Sophia Loren once agreed with that last in an interview. She said you can get away with a cheap but flattering dress, but the shoes must always be good. My grandfather would have approved.) Go to church. Tithe if you can. Save money. Vote.
Volunteer. Garden. Laugh often

From my parents: Don't ever lie, even if it hurts. It will hurt less in the long run. Always vote. Pay your bills. Live below your income so you can save if you can. Take your children to church. Contribute to the community. Enjoy art and music. Garden. Eat a lot of green and yellow vegetables, including green chiles and onions. Trust good friends. Laugh often. Read. Read. Read. Everything. See the humans in history and learn the past. Treasure it. My father once told me he could have made more money easily if he had taken some perfectly prevalent shortcuts. It was the first time I ever saw that celebratory gleam in his eye, that wolfish grin. "Doing it honest is harder," he told me, "but it can be done." Be proud of your honesty.

Take care of yourself. You owe it to family to be proactive on health.

And, "Love with all your heart," my father told me, "But marry with your head."

What have I inculcated in this and added to? What do I see my sons observing and/or teaching?

Honesty.Courage to be honest. A liking of history. A basic love of a lot of vegetables.
We all vote. We all honor education and also music and art. We all vote. We must. And as we can, we donate blood and organs.

Retrospective is easier than current.

One thing that sticks out: my family has a tradition of voting. I don't know why neither of my grandmothers told me about getting the vote or their first time, but neither said a word. Maybe they thought it was enough that when I was growing up I took it for granted women voted, and they didn't want to spoil that. Or something. I'll never know. Maybe by then, they just accepted it. They had been voting more than 20 years by my birth.

I love extended voting, and already have voted. This year, for the first time, I toyed with not voting. Three generations. a family code of honor. Vote.

So I did. And I would be discombobulated for the next four years if I hadn't. Actually, another family mantra: you have no right to complain if you haven't voted.
Thank God I voted.

I could never keep my mouth shut for four years.

I Still Think Family Meals Really Matter

My granddaughters' schedules did not leave me smiling and basking in the care the schools show children. I took care of them for five days, and it is a matter of diplomacy to balance their education, extracurricular activities, and family events. Oh. Let's not neglect their health and well-being. A prime factor in our family.

My eldest granddaughter so far is thriving. Her grades have suffered. This all-A, Gifted and Talented child will probably get some of the first Bs of her life next report card. Her parents like her to get 8-9 hours of sleep a day. Band and tennis sometimes cut into that. Sometimes the schedule is so tight, she misses meals. Last week, on their away game, they had to eat "supper" at 4 pm before they donned their band uniforms because they are not allowed to eat in them. Might smear. Might get dirty. They got home after the game and half-time show at 1 am.

They had to be back at 10 am for competition. It was cold, and they got home at 6 something pm. Still, my granddaughter ate, did homework, watched a little tv and slept 13 hours.

Today is a national holiday and schools are out. Oldest granddaughter was supposed to be at band practice,anyway, 6-9 pm. Her mother, who came in on the train, arrived at 5:22. I insisted granddaughter come to the station to hug her mother before going to practice. Her Mom had been gone 5 days, unusual for our family.

I thought I could get her to band on time but she was a minute late. If she is chastised for this, If she is chastised...

The tennis coach has called another tourney tomorrow after school. Another deferred guitar lesson. IF she gets through by 7:30, their family may get to eat together the birthday
meal I left today for the grandchildren and their parents, who both had recent birthdays.

You hear all the time about how families so seldom eat together anymore. The blame always is on the parents.
You never hear about the activities eating into the family.

Families cannot be close if they do not be together, especially eat together, spend time.

I once had a divorce for no better reason than that we both were too busy to spend the time we needed to spend.

I guess that leaves me with a bee in my bonnet.

Be careful. I may sting.

Wealth of Family

This was a busy weekend for Matt G. and family. They closed on the house and moved. I took care of the kids parttime Friday and all day Saturday. I had a wonderful time. The girls had fun, too. We went for pizza, over to the park to play (I sat at a picnic table in the cool shade of the trees, while they played in the full sun on the playground. Temp in the 80s, unbelievable for July in Texas.)

We stopped for bottled water and went to the movies--their second time to see "Ratatouilie" and my first. Note to parents who haven't been yet--it's the best cartoon I've seen in several years, fun for adults AND kids, and the Pixar cartoon before the cartoon is not to be missed, I laughed out loud all the way through. Then I took the kids home, stopping off for fast food for all. Had them away for about 12 hours, and their parents had done miraculous things with the time.

The kids were happy and relaxed. So was I. And parents were exhausted but pleased with progress. I understand "Transformers" also will be a decent movie for them, but Saturday I wasn't sure. They are so much fun, these girls. They are smart, and sweet, and their parents have done a great job. I just enjoy all the time with them, as do their other grandparents. My own children had one grandparent who died early. These girls have five grandparents. An aunt and uncles. Cousins they see from time to time. Not unusual, but very different from my own experience.

A wealth of family really is wealth, a richness in family that has no substitute. Isn't it nice, when the next generation does so well? Oh, yeh, great earnings would also be nice for them. But I look at my sons, and I think, "I didn't screw up too bad." The universe is enriched by my progeny.

It really is.