Sing

In tune with each other
London, ON, September 2010
[Click here to share your own interpretation of family]

Despite 1950s and 1960s America's best efforts to convince us otherwise, there is no one definition of family. The so-called nuclear family is laughably staid and non-representative of reality, a throwback to a time when greater sophistication in media technology and use allowed us to shape the perception of our world in ways only previously dreamed. Problem was the Beav's mom was unlike any woman, then as now, on the planet. And no amount of tinkering by a producer could change reality.

Ideals have a funny way of falling from the sky when we least expect, don't they?

Which leads us to this picture. Our daughter and youngest son sing in the choir, and here they were final-practicing before the Jewish New Year service. The kids had formed a remarkably cohesive unit as they got ready for their big debut, and as I stood at the periphery of the sanctuary and listened to their not-so-little voices carry, I closed my eyes and tried to pick out each child.

I couldn't. They were so in sync that they seemingly became one voice. It was lovely, both to hear and to feel.

I was in choir this year - the grown-up one, according to the kids - and we followed in my late Zaideh (grandfather) Akiva's footsteps, as he also sang in choir in Montreal. I remember my childhood self going to synagogue with him and sitting in the front row as he got up in front of everybody and sang in perfect tune. I guess he was already teaching me then how richly varied the concept of family could be. Wise man, he was.

Your turn: How do you define family? (Oh, and when you're done, I hope you'll pop over to my wife's blog - link here - as she's joined up with this week's Thematic, too.)