The comforts of a large Irish Catholic Family

I watched the memorial mass this morning for Senator Ted Kennedy. Although I do not attend Sunday Mass on a regular basis anymore - I made an attempt last spring during Lent - will try again in the Fall - I was moved by the traditions and found myself silently praying along with the numerous celebrants on the altar. The eulogies were moving - especially from Teddy, Jr and President Obama - but it was the numerous shots of the Kennedy family in the pews that really brought home the joys and comfort of belonging to such a large family. You just knew that they had each other to hold each other up and to celebrate a long, well-lived life. I come from a family of five - three children, two parents. My parents - born and rasied in Ireland - came from large families - my mom was the oldest of twelve and my dad was one of five. I still remember the stories my mom told of growing up - one bed for four girls - and the inevitable fight about who would get stuck laying at their sisters feet! My father told us about his youngest brother - who, on a Saturday night before a dance, would stick his finger into the cold ashes of the fire and brush his teeth with the soot to make them white! They never spoke aloud of the poverty and the cold, damp nights - just what they had to do to make it through the day. Walking miles to school, working on the farm or in the tailor shop - you did what you had to do. My parents married in Ireland but soon moved to the States. Some of their siblings came over also so they could retain their bonds - but more stayed "home" - so bonds and connections were weakened. A trip out to the airport was always a joyous occasion to greet an arriving relative - but devastatingly sad on the return trip - for it was always the unspoken truth hanging in the air - is this the last time we will see granny/auntie alive? My parents had a relatively small family in large part because they had already helped raise their own brothers and sisters and for economic reasons - it was a tough go for them to make it here with little education. But they did and got to live the American dream. It is much harder today to have a large family - unless you have a TV show - due to economic reasons and with both parents working outside the home. Today's families - large or small - blood relatives or close friends - are a source of comfort when we need them most - to say goodbye.