Happy BaBa's Day!
This week while Taiwanese families commemorate Father’s( bà bà) Day on 8/8 (ba ba) , I traveled to Wisconsin to celebrate my grandfather’s 90th birthday. True to his character, my grandfather declined to make the weekend about himself as an individual-- how many candles were on his cake, or how many wonderful things he had accomplished in his life-- and instead, turned it into a celebration of our entire family, the Carroll’s.
It had been ten years since I'd last visited with my mother’s side of the family. As a child, I traveled there often to spend summer vacations running around with cousins, playing cards, and dipping my toes in Lake Michigan. It was, without a doubt, one of the places I felt happiest, surrounded by a group of doting aunts, hilarious uncles, adventurous cousins, and loving grandparents. In so many ways, I have a picture-perfect memory of my days there.
Being together again with my family after so long, I was amazed at how effortlessly and quickly I sank into the familiarity that comes from being around the people you knew as a child. Simultaneously, I felt because of the time away, I could really see what it means to be a part of the Carroll family, and about how a family creates its own identity.
For so many clubs and companies, there are group mission statements for its members. Who are we? What do we stand for? Where do we want to go? Very few (if any?) families sit down to write a mission statement. Rather, it’s through the repeated actions and ways of speaking towards one another, that a pattern emerges creating who the family is and how it operates as a unit.
This week, I watched with amazement at how my family interacted with each other and me. There was no shortage of home cooked meals, laughter, meaningful conversations, “I love you’s.” and even Zumba! I could see the values of each individual member mirrored in one another, and each person contributing to who we are as a whole. I was so proud and humbled to be a part of this accepting group rooted in the power of unconditional love, familial bonds, faith, shared memories, and history.
My grandfather, like so many fathers and grandfathers, helped shape the kind of family we have grown into. We celebrate them today and every day, by caring for and nurturing the families they have given us.
Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in Taiwan, and Happy 90th Birthday, Grandpa!
Keep moving!
xx,
Katie
爸爸節快樂！
這週在台灣家人慶祝父親節的同時，我來到了威斯康辛州慶祝外公 90 歲的生日。老實說以他的個性，他拒絕以他的名義慶祝這個周末，像是要在蛋糕上放多少根蠟燭、或是他的一生中成就了多少豐功偉業，反之，他將焦點放在慶祝我們 Carroll 家族。
距離上次和媽媽這邊的親戚相聚已經有十年了。小時候，我的暑假常常都是在這裡和他們一起度過的，不論是和表兄弟姊妹跑來跑去、一起玩牌、或是一起在密西根湖邊泡腳。無庸置疑的，這是我人生中一個最開心的地方，有溺愛我的阿姨們、超搞笑的叔叔們、愛冒險的表兄弟姊妹們、慈愛的外公外婆。某種程度上，我過去在這的記憶仍然歷歷在目。
在十年之後再與家人重聚，我很驚訝地發現沉浸回這份熟悉感中是如此地毫不費力，同時也因為分別這麼久，我可以清楚地看到屬於這個家族的一份子所代表的意義為何。
很多的公司與社團都有他們的使命宣言，像是我們是誰呢？我們代表些什麼？我們想要往哪個方向前進？很少的家族（幾乎沒有吧！）會一起坐下來寫使命宣言，但是我們會透過重複的行為與一次次的溝通來了解我們到底是什麼樣的家族。
這週我驚喜地看著家人們是如何彼此互動。在這當中家常菜、笑聲、有深度的對話、「我愛你」、甚至是 Zumba 不曾間斷。好感恩我身在這樣包容、無條件的愛的家庭，我們擁有同樣的回憶與歷史，我也以身為這家族的一份子為榮。
我外公就是像是很多的爸爸或是祖父一樣，幫忙由內到外塑造一個家族的身分，我們不只在今天慶祝父親節，藉由照顧與滋養他們所給我們的家庭，來慶祝每一天都是父親節。
祝所有台灣的爸爸們父親節快樂！也祝外公 90 大壽生日快樂！
繼續前進！
愛你的 Katie
( Anna Liang 譯 )
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