Glo Knows... Family
A Vocabulary Lesson in Love and Family
Before I even get started, let me offer a disclaimer, so I can continue to be an active member of my own family. I love my family. However, I am glad there’s a place called Texas. Honey, my momma, albeit wise, could worry the fuzz off a bald man’s head! It’s best we live in separate states.
The family unit is a contradictory entity. It is what keeps us going strong, yet it wears us out. It is what makes us happy about going home, yet it can make us sad once we get there. It is what helps us find balance, yet it can sometimes be the most unbalanced part of our day. Why? It’s family, the bedrock of all love/hate relationships. It’s no wonder we go from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other just from mentioning a family member’s name.
I’ve learned that every family — rich or poor, immediate or distant — has at least one twisted sister, bummed-out brother, undignified uncle, or anal-retentive aunt sharing its family tree. But in the event of the untimely passing of one of the aforementioned individuals, you can bet you’ll hear family members talk about the deceased as though honey dripped from her lips or harps played when he entered a room. Even though your family may be dysfunctional, remember the word “dysfunctional” still has the word “functional” at its root. Something must be working for you — otherwise, you would have bonded out a long time ago. I say, build on your strengths. If you’ve ever heard the expression “blood is thicker than water,” you understand that blood does not float. It weighs on you. However, when water evaporates, it barely leaves a mark. But when blood dries, it leaves a permanent stain. Family blood is permanent, regardless of good or bad times.
That brings me to love — specifically love of family. The word “love” is much too small a word to encompass so much joy and pain. I mean, really, the audacity of the word “love” to have only one syllable — who does it think it is? I think it should have at least three syllables, like the word “alphabet.”
“I alphabet you so much!” Or how about the word “insanity”? After all, family love can drive you crazy. “Your insanity means so much to me.” My personal favorite replacement word for love is "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” “How can I explain what your supercalifragilisticexpialidocious does to me!” Honey, that’s family love! You can only say it once or twice before you need a drink — something that burns going down. I can’t even spell-check the word without all hell breaking loose on my computer!
No matter how they express their love, every family has challenges. From the Billups family on the cover of this issue — who look so good you want to date the entire unit, honey hush! — to single parents and their kids, no families are spared. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or don’t have. The true meaning of family is not discovered during times of laughter and prosperity, but during times of sorrow and challenge. Pulling together during the tough times makes it easier to remember what family is really all about when it seems to be falling apart.
For me, family is like a pair of dry socks on a backcountry hike — it’s better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.
Denver Magazine
Issue: June 2010