DNA

The thread begins.  A subconsciousness sifting down through the ages.   Consciousness develops as the threads of the story weave in and out of each other, not always wrapping up in a nice tight denouement.  Life rarely presents itself in such clear continuity, nor are we always able to grasp it when it does, particularly at a young age or where we have become so distracted from engaging with the inherent deeper meaning of events, interactions and functions we are a part of.

Threads that take generations to work themselves out, information that rarely gets passed on in enough detail to really give an individual a clear idea of how he might fit into the bigger picture.  Maybe that’s what the holidays are for, connecting the threads, even if sometimes painful.  It doesn’t all fit into the redemptive narrative the way we might like it to.

I think about the threads of our families’ histories like I do the DNA threads that unite us from generation to generation in a longer and more meaningful history, filled with inspiration, encouragement and resolve about our place in history.  Even if somehow displaced, or without bearing, it is vital to discover and claim as part of our own and future journeys.

Born to two first-generation immigrants, Italian and Irish, with relatives in multiple countries, I was immediately exposed to an inordinate number of iconic relatives, all unique in their talents and exploits, and all who have resonated in some form in my own vocation and personality:  my maternal grandfather the engineer, my uncle the priest, my father the entrepreneur, my mother and aunts the adventurers, my maternal grandmother the writer, farmer and cook, my paternal grandfather the soldier, my other uncle the farmer, all faithful and brave.  I feel a part of the continuum as it recreates itself in me and through my very different, modern surroundings.  

I am now in my 50’s, my children in their 20’s and I see the thread passed on in them, even if they only see a glimpse of it as they seek to fulfill their inherent passions with indigenous spirit, affect and focus.  We seem to stumble into our fates more gracefully with age and with some indirect yet foundational expectation.