September 22, 2007
Family Matters "Who Loves Ya?"
One day while discussing childhood memories with a friend, he mentioned that between 5:30 or 6:00 pm most days he would be outside playing with friends and would hear this distinct whistle. It was his dad's call to get home for supper. His mum would cook the meal; the kids would set the table; dad would come home from work and the family would gather for the evening meal. Married with children - that was a normal North American scenario in those days, 50 years ago.Grandparents would come for the holidays and you’d visit with cousins in the summer. Family was family! Yes, there were single parent families for one reason or another and yes, some folks lived alone, but both scenarios seemed few and far between.
I recall attending a seminar where a sociologist was giving a talk on the change in family structure. Apparently, families became increasingly mobile in the mid sixties and much of our extended family support was left in the dust. The typical family was changing. Statistics Canada has it in numbers.
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Not long ago a team mate passed away and I attended his funeral service. There in the chapel were members of the immediate family, close friends; those considered to be part of his extended family and of course, a minister to guide the service. Dan had been a policeman and many former colleagues were there. I attended with a number of his team-mates. We had played ball together.
When you take the Banana Gang Pledge "you pwomise" (among other things) "to twy to have some fun evwy day". Here's an example of how easy it can be. Last week we were invited by a family member to a Nature Trust fund-raiser. The Nature Trust of British Columbia is a non-governmental charitable organization dedicated to preserving some of B.C.'s endangered ecosystems and areas of spectacular beauty. It's certainly a worthwhile cause.
Did you watch the recent account of a former U.S. Marine who just happened to be near ground zero in New York that tragic day 6 years ago. His story was central to a truly emotional T.V. show that built his family a wonderful new home. A beautiful example of joy thru generosity!
Like many Canadians, I recently celebrated Thanksgiving Day with family. I find it interesting that we officially designate one day a year to expressing “thanks”. However, I’ve also noticed that there is an “awareness movement” occurring where people are tuning into “an attitude of gratitude”.
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