Our Stories Are Currency

I’ve spent the last few days in upstate New York with family. My parents met in this town at age 17. The story goes that Dad fell in love when he first watched Mama walk out of Five Corners Pizzeria.

But an amazing thing happened when they married: their two Italian families really became one. It is extraordinary the way these two families enjoy each other.

Last week, my Mama’s niece graduated high school. She invited my Dad’s parents to the party. This week, my Mama’s sister had a small anniversary party, but she happily invited my Dad’s parents, too. We’re all family. “In-laws” need not apply.

I think the way my relatives welcome one another is a nice metaphor for how God’s Family should work.

Since I only get to visit my family here about once a year, this week I’ve been determined to write it all down. I spent a lot of free-time scribbling down stories from my Grandma Dee-Dee, my Great Uncle Chuck and Great Aunt Mary, and my Poppie Collamer. Their words and stories are a great currency spilled out in ink. I have many many words saved onto the computer, now, and I’m hoping to stretch them into mini-memoirs for each of them.

I wonder why I did not do this sort of thing far sooner.

Poppie Collamer (aka. Poppie-in-the-kettle in my previous post) turns 80 today! He has taught me so much about the value of living simply and loving generously.

(“Write Me” photo by SuperMamacita.)