Loose Strife

When I think of my family, I always pause to think about how often they were willing to do “the robot”. Or, anything else silly for that matter. That’s what I love about my family. I also love that we’re very close, and that we’ve never really given up on each other. Growing up as co-op loving, pseudo-hippies has its advantages and taught me a lot:
1) Love your family above all else.
2) Find time to laugh (or, try to make others laugh).
3) Stick up for each other.
4) Certain words will *always* be funny. Always. You know which ones I mean.
5) No matter how rotten you’ve been to a parent/sibling, they’ll always love you back.
I’ve learned a lot from my older siblings. I credit Heather and Laura for instilling in me a love for good music (and, to a certain extent, style). Thanks to Laura, I never fell into the pit of despair known as “hair metal” or “mainstream pop”. Mind you, if that’s your thing… well, give Negativland and English Beat a listen. I credit Elena for showing me compassion for others. In fact, she and my other sisters were destined to be great mothers someday. I credit PJ for keeping me in line, even though I fought him tooth and nail over it.
One of my favorite photos–one that is displayed in my classroom–is the one in which we are all doing “the robot” on our parents’ front porch. I love being able to explain to my students what kind of family we have. They ask questions about my siblings and my parents. They want to know about my brothers-in-law. They love hearing about my nieces and nephews. And, I love sharing with them what “family” means to me.
This hard time has made me (and, all of us) understandably moody. But, it has also made me reflect on how lucky I’ve been to be born into this family. I am fortunate to have three outstanding and loving brothers-in-law. I think we can all agree that our parents are especially top-notch.
They’ve had to put up with five teenagers in the house at one time. They put us through Catholic school, whence we cultivated further love for one another. They provided a supportive, yet disciplined household. Sure, we weren’t perfect children. But, our concern for others is proof-positive that they did a heckuva job. By the way, if you find my modesty just drop it in the nearest mailbox. Can you tell I’m proud to be a Coleman?
My siblings are very dear to me. I owe them my ability to argue, sense of humor, taste in movies, musical preferences, snappy comebacks, fond memories and my life. When one of us is hurting, the others feel it. If one of us makes a pie that goes horribly wrong, the others offer advice on improving it (but will probably choke it down anyhow). If one of us makes a beautiful work of art, we admire it for its inherent loveliness.
I like doodling. I think Laura and Elena share that affinity with me (though, I draw the line at mere scribbles). Did you catch that pun? Gold! I think Heather and PJ probably have some secret book deal that they’re not telling the rest of us, though (I want advance copies, you two). Seeing artwork that Laura would bring home from high school always blew me away. Her silk-screened design for CYO was dynamite. I can still see that design of the sharp-angled head in my mind’s eye. Her photography and work on the DJO yearbook are true gems. Don’t believe me? Take a look at her Colophon page. Now, her current artwork includes two wonderful children. I think it’s best work so far. David, of course, brought a complementary yin to Laura’s yang, and I’ll always love him for that. Without a doubt, my family is like priceless art. Absolutely priceless.