There are two contrasting storylines going on in my family right now. One full of happiness: my upcoming wedding. One not so happy: my cousin's life is falling apart. I'm not putting more details then that on the internet, just understand that it is a very unfortunate situation which he is only making worse by alienating the people who are trying to help him.
Yesterday, my parents had dinner with one of my uncles. He is the most recent victim of my cousin's mistakes and my parents said that he looked so beaten down when he came in the door they were absolutely shocked. But when they started talking about my wedding, he perked up a bit. A New Years Eve wedding has always been his dream wedding so he is particularly excited. He even convinced my grandmother that she must wear a formal gown and he plans to take her out shopping for one.
Unfortunately, my cousin's issues are not the first dark periods my family has faced in the past few years. We lost a very young member of our family to cancer, several others have been diagnosed with various illnesses, and my cousin was deployed to Afghanistan (we're very proud of him, but we do worry about him all the time).
Last Thanksgiving, before Mishka and I were engaged but when it was clear we were very serious about each other, my sisters overheard a few of my aunts and uncles talking in the living room about how they hoped Mishka and I did get engaged soon. They said "the family could really use a wedding."
This of course got back to me and it really made me think. As much as I want to personalize my wedding day, this is not just a day for me or for Mishka. It is a celebration we can't wait to host and is of course centered around our upcoming marriage, but it isn't just about us. It is a happy celebration that my family sorely needs. It is my uncle's dream wedding. It is my father's first daughter's wedding. They are all excited in their own ways and have suggestions they would love to see incorporated. And I begin to feel that I want to make this day for them as well as for myself. I will have a blast at my wedding no matter what, but I want this to be a good day for them too.
Maybe these are lofty expectations... or maybe this doesn't make sense, heh.
Anyway, back to school work!
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