"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." -Desmond Tutu
I have always said that my family should have its own show. We've really had some amazing times and every time I think back, I can't help but realize how truly thankful I am for my family. There was always one person who I knew I could count on and no matter how much I screwed up or misbehaved, she always had my back. Now, my parents were the disciplinarians, the bad cops if you will, but my paternal grandmother (we called her yiayia, which is Greek for grandmother) was always the good cop to the point where she would scold my mom or dad for punishing me.
When I think back to my earliest memory of her, I always end up on the day I almost set the house ablaze. We had a fire burning and of course, being a curious young boy, I started poking the fire with the little broom that sat next to the fireplace along with the shovel and poker. Well, that little broom caught fire and I started to panic. My grandmother sprung to her feet, grabbed the broom from my hands and before I knew it, the situation was under control. Crisis averted. I was in awe.
My grandmother barely spoke a word of English (Little Known Fact: neither did I, until I started kindergarten - Greek was my first language), but she always made an effort to communicate with everyone who stopped by the house. She was so strong willed and determined to the point of being stubborn at times (Gosh, I wonder where I get that from?). She had an infectious laugh - one that is forever etched in my mind - and always provided us with comic relief. There is no doubt that I got my sense of humor from her as well. From her sometimes slightly inappropriate jokes to trying to repeat rap lyrics to outright mocking us, she would always find a way to get us to crack a smile.
Unfortunately, my beloved yiayia passed away a little over two years ago and each day that passes is just another day for me to relive the wonderful memories I have of her. I love and miss her dearly.
I don't want to end on a somber note, so let's get to why I titled the post 'Modern Family'. As I stated above, my family should really have its own show, but while we work out a deal with one of the networks, you can catch the next best thing on ABC: Modern Family!
Enjoy some of my favorite moments from this season:
"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts." -Author Unknown
