(kingman) doublewide family

i'm sure i'm not the first to reflect on family, and how odd it is that this particular distinction "family" means that perfect strangers that have almost nothing in common have a reason to treat each other differently from other perfect strangers they might meet elsewhere. family reunions are a sort of window into what it might be like when all people will pretend they're family, and behave toward each other accordingly. (this is assuming that one treats one's family with respect and a certain degree of love and priority.) it is a central baha'i teaching (love/treat all people as if they were your closest and dearest family...but this isn't widely practiced in the world at large yet (and not even practiced very well by me)). it's easy here, though. my family is especially great and family reunions are always fun and entertaining.

but also a little bit weird. it can be disconcerting to sit back and watch the different expressions of similar genetic material. four generations of genes that you know you share. resolutions to do things either the same way or differently, and fear that you may not have any control over certain things. little dots running around a desert trailer park in a dynamic giant connect-the-dots game.

this weekend i am "chief officer in charge of grandchildren and great grandchildren." quite frankly, i'm a little nervous. i guess what it means, after you get past all the intimidating flash and prestige of the title, is that i have to come up with ways of entertaining the kids. this is funny to me, because kids never have trouble entertaining themselves. perhaps it's my grandmother's sick plot to keep *me* entertained.

oh, and speaking of family (and friends who are like family), congratulations leroy and karen (and the rest of the space family) on leroy's successful launch to ISS in the little capsule that could.