Coppelclan.com: Family Matters

Last night we ended up having a crew over at Club B&L (the new term coined by our friends for the casa) for the Super Bowl. I am ashamed to admit that I resorted to "googling" the names of the teams that were playing before the game because I had NO clue, but for us it was the perfect excuse to have some friends over.

Before going to the house, we went to this new place on Alton (a friend of a friend had opened up this burger joint) and, given that a veggie burger was on the menu, we could actually eat there. We got through the first half of the game and ended up bringing the crew back to the house. To put our utter disinterest in the game into perspective: at one point the tv was actually on mute as we were cracking up watching various SNL clips ON YOUTUBE. Pathetic, I know.

When YOUTUBE got old, I went outside sat on the front stoop with my friend, Lindsey. Not too long after, her sister, Stacey, came out to join us. I was sitting there watching them joke back-and-forth and it made me feel really sad. I miss my sister. I hate that we don't live closer to one another... I just hate it. Tears welled up in my eyes as I told the girls just how fortunate they are to live so close to one another; it's true (and those of you who have sisters will understand) - there are some things in life that only sisters get.

This led me to think a lot about family. In a world with an abundance of choices and options at our fingertips, it's fascinating that we don't have an opportunity to choose one of the most important things in life: the parents we are born to and/or the families (however functional or dysfunctional they may be) that we inherit. It's truly a gamble - I could have just as easily been born to a poor family in a slum in Calcutta as I was to two middle-class parents in Louisville, KY. I know in my heart that this is why I feel such compassion toward immigrants and those seeking a better, more fulfilling life for their children ... we come into this world without a voice, unable to choose where we land ... and for many the result is heartbreaking. I don't feel entitled to the life that I have been given; I feel eternally grateful.

And speaking this gamble... last weekend we went to see the movie, Slumdog Millionaire. I can't stress this enough: RUN, don't walk, to see it. Witnessing the children born into the slums struggle to merely survive while tackling challenges and obstacles that many of us will never face was a true wake-up call. No matter how bad/stressful/scary/insert-your-own-word-here it gets - it is NEVER that bad.

In times such as these, where each morning's headlines are worse and worse and more people we know are getting laid off and worried about how they will keep their heads above water, I have to remind myself that things could be so much worse. That pity-party we've all been guilty of throwing for ourselves at one time or another feels pretty selfish when we truly understand what's happening in other parts of the world.

Although my family has had its share of ups and downs (and in-betweens) - we are lucky. Lucky to have one another and to have the strong, loving relationships that continue to prosper and grow. I wouldn't trade them for anything.