Family Bonds
Following WWII, the Chisholm family gathered at The Home Place in Louisa, Virginia. There were four brothers (including my grandfather, E. Morris Chisholm) and one sister with their spouses and a few children in tow. Ma Chisholm, the matriarch of the family, presided over the household and Father Chisholm ailing but always finely dressed, overlooked it all.
For years I have heard stories of this family reunion. Recently, when I asked my grandmother, Mary Jane Chisholm, “Gigi”, to tell me again, a smile came across her face and her eyes lit up. She said that it was a wonderful time and they had so much fun playing games, cooking and laughing. As a young bride (Morris and Mary Jane married in November 1945) from a small river town in Kentucky, she bonded with her sister-in-laws, learned to cook, can food, garden and care for children. The love the family shared held them together through the experience and created a strong foundation for years to come.
In times of uncertainty, bonding with family and loved ones brings us peace and purpose. Some people have connected virtually over imposed distances while others have been together in their homes. The recent quarantine experience brought five out of my six children home for the past couple of months. Although we all rode the daily roller coaster of emotional extremes such as fear, anger, frustration and sadness we had equal amounts of joy, comfort, support and love to get us through the darkness. As a mother, I knew that this time would go as quickly as it came. Although I wanted everyone to get on with their lives, I was content to stop time for a brief moment and take it all in.
None of us knows what will happen tomorrow. We can’t control the future any more than we can change the past. The quarantine reminds us is to cherish the present and fully live in the moment with the ones you love and to reach out to those who are not nearby. If there is a gift that comes from the broken dreams of tomorrow it is the realization that we are strong and resilient and that we can get through this, together. We are best when we support each other. We can evolve and grow in spite of the unknown turns along the paths of this bumpy road called life.
