Because you don't know if they'll be here next year...

This weekend was my annual family get together/reunion. My cousin said something that stood out to me, when she showed me a picture of my great aunt and uncle.

"I'm so glad I got such a great shot where they look so carefree...because you don't know if they'll be here next year."

Wow. And then it hit me. My grandfather was one of 13 siblings. The children of Portuguese immigrants who came through Ellis Island at the turn of the twentieth century and raised a family of 13 children in a rather small 4 bedroom house just one block away from where I live now. But now there are only 4 of them and 4 of their spouses left. I lost my grandfather when I was 12, but always had one of the many aunts and uncles that I could turn to. It saddens me to realize that slowly, we are losing them.

So much of who I am today can be traced to having such a rich history. My great grandparents came here poor and built not only their own lives, but a foundation for our entire family. They are, no, we are, the epitome of the American Dream. My great grandfather became a citizen of the United States after he had retired. It was so very important to him, as he considered himself an American. He was never formally educated but worked hard to learn how to read and write and pass his citizenship test. One of his proudest moments was when he voted for the very first time. Their children - my great uncles became chiefs of the fire department, engineers and electricians and my aunts went on to raise families. Their families - my mother's generation - continued the tradition of working and leading the fire department, engineers, lawyers, chemists, and raising families. And now my generation is still leading the fire department, teaching, getting MBAs and beginning to raise our own families.

I find it absolutely amazing that just 100 years ago my family had nothing - literally just the bags they carried on the ship from the Azores and now we are the American Dream.

I have my great grandparents and their children - my grandfather's generation - to thank for that. They built a family that they all can be proud of. Realizing this all over the past couple of days has made it very important to me to make sure we immortalize as much of our history as we can. My first task is to visit Ellis Island and see where it started for my great grandparents. I hope to accomplish that this fall. When I do, I'll write more about it here.