As a child I was surrounded by family. There were my parents, two older siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, all living within a 10-minute drive of my home.
As the much younger of the home brood, I was watched over by my elder siblings. I could pop by to visit my maternal grandparents after school, and on the paternal side enjoyed large family dinners in the country. My cousins and I shared vacation days and weekend adventures.
This was a far different world than my children — and certainly now, my grandchildren — are living. My kids grew up miles away from close relatives and with them now grown and scattered too, the situation is likewise for their children. That said we do what we can to solidify the ideal that there is little else as important as family.
May 15 is the International Day of Families, proclaimed in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly. This year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message stated that “Families hold societies together, and intergenerational relationships extend this legacy over time.”
He went on to say that this year’s International Day of Families celebrates “connections among all members of the constellation that makes up a family,” as well as considers the affects of societal and economic trends, and strives to strengthen families.
For my part, to pay tribute to families in every sense of the word I offer these photo collections:
