On the Love of Family and
the Hands that Hold Us
by Tim Kavi
(An essay about the Love of Family)
Posting on Day Seven of VALENTINES BE MINE FOR NINE continues with another entry on the awesome love of family. How important is it? And how lucky are we to have it?
If we think about the love of families and the hands that hold us--we are often talking about times when we are dealing with stress in families. There, in a family, is one place where many of us can thankfully be accepted, and more often than not, are loved at least to some degree. While many of us do not live in perfect families, we do live in families that if we are lucky--can be a source of support when we really need it.
Now, outside of luck factors--there are some families that have learned how to coalesce as a unit, and have discovered that nurturing is there in a powerful way. Sometimes adversities have visited these families which resulted in a close knit type of support that is rarely seen at other times and in other places.
In short, there is something very special about families that love each other, and that have passed through the furnace of troubles and built a very strong love indeed. Sociologists and anthropologists have long known that there are important benefits to family life. Among these are care for offspring, assisting sick family members back to health, or providing a place where one is accepted and loved.
Nothing builds this closeness and intimacy quite like the families that have faced medical adversities, or had one of its members born with a serious challenge.
Yesterday on this blog, I posted a poem as a tribute to one of these families that I am lucky to know. The type of family that I'm writing about here today in this column. The kind of family that through adversities have grown close and strong in their support of each other, and through it all, have created an enduring atmosphere of love. To have such a family! Surely, this family I am writing about is certainly a good example of this special kind of love--the love of a close knit family.
Yesterday's poem 'Amazing Grace' described what I would call a close knit family that has been through some pretty hard times. And one of this family's three children was mentioned in my poem. I am referring to Grace, or 'Gracie', a child who was born with Down Syndrome.
Now Down Syndrome affects 1 out of every 691 births in the United States. Babies born with Down Syndrome may face a number of potential health problems throughout their life span and these can include congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, Alzheimer's disease, childhood leukemia, and thyroid conditions.
You can read about the characteristics and demographics of this condition by clicking here http://www.ndss.org/Down-Syndrome/Down-Syndrome-Facts/.
I would not want to draw attention to one poem or myself, but only to focus on that special little girl we learned about yesterday, Grace. She and her family are to be commended, and appreciated. They are our true heroes!
Research should continue on Down Syndrome so that someday research can find a cure, or a means to prevent it, and to help those who suffer from it to have less hardships, better quality of life, and increased longevity.
There are many conditions besides Down Syndrome that a family can encounter. There are enough troubles even in a typical adolescence. But there is no substitute for a loving family that has to face any of these things. Research has shown that a positive loving home can influence the outcomes of many chronic health conditions.
Grace was very fortunate to be born into such a loving family. And wherever we are, and whoever we are, I can only say as this Valentine's Day approaches--that we are tremendously blessed and inspired by you, Grace, and your family. You teach us as well as any love story, that a family love story is one kind of love that love is all about. Namaste and God Bless You all.~~TK
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