Bonding

Inspirational song: Brother 52 (Fish)

There was a very special sort of family reunion this weekend, and I got to be around to witness the tail end of it today. My son-in-law grew up estranged from his father, and had not seen him since he was a baby. There were a lot of assumptions made about how much the elder wanted to he involved in the younger's life, and in the last year, we learned many of them were wrong. It was only in this last year, since Valerie's birth and a whole lot of other significant changes on that side of the family, that we learned that there are younger sisters, and that the father really wanted to be able to introduce them to our son-in-law. This challenged everything he had always believed, and provided a vehicle for a great deal of healing.

This weekend the whole group, plus some young friends eager for a summer vacation, came out to Colorado to meet our kids. We were all a little anxious going in, but the event went smoothly and everyone was over the moon to get acquainted, at long last. I'm especially happy for Valerie, who will grow up with a much bigger family, particularly with a dad who feels part of something good that he didn't know was out there waiting for him.

Val's newly-met grandpa is a tattoo artist by profession. When he travels, he takes a portion of his equipment with him. (I heard him mention he goes places like Daytona, as working trips.) A tradition he has had was to have each of his daughters sign their names on his arms, at different stages of their lives. The youngest one first did it at age five, and her childish scrawl was adorable. There was a second set from a few years later, and he was behind on getting a third set. This provided a perfect opportunity for our son-in-law to get in on the tradition. So this afternoon, all four kids put their names on the inside of his arm, and D got to go back and find how he signed his name at earlier stages of his life (I guess he or his mom found old schoolwork?) and add it at the top of the other two sets. The dad was patient and explained well to each kid what to do. The youngest was nervous, even though she had done this twice before. I loved the effect it made.

I'm a sucker for unique family traditions. Just as I think it is the coolest thing that Mr S-P took our girls to the same mountain hike every couple years, and took pictures at the same points of interest, I think this is very special and I admire it. And you know, they say tattoos are addictive. It has got me wanting to get another one. I already have the next one picked out, but I kind of have to heal from surgery and radiation first before I put it where it needs to go. But now, for the first time ever, I'm wondering whether there is a word I would want to wear for the rest of my life. I'll have to think that over.