Lately I have been thinking of my families. The family that I left behind in my motherland, the family that became mine through marriage, the family that my husband and I created, and lastly-but not less important by any means-the family that is going on through my children. I fully seem to comprehend what the geneologists refer to as 'the family tree.'Honestly we are like the huge tree that is probably growing in your backyard. Two people in our past started to create a 'family.' They were the 'trunk' that send down roots to stabilize and grew branches that gradually had other branches of their own. All these branches had their own chacteristics. Some did resemble other branches in some way; but still each had its own individuality. Each grew in which ever direction it wanted to grow. The 'trunk' had no say in that matter. It gave the 'branches' a solid foundation to grow on and provided the nutrition for them to go forward. But as to direct them to grow in certain way, I feel, was left to the branches. They grew towards light- mostly upward and onward. Likewise, in a family, the parents provided the children with tools-through example and education-for future and then hoped for the best.

I wonder at times did the 'trunk' ever worry about the branches or did the branches ever think of the trunk!!

Also, may be because of this similie of a family and tree, I firmly believe that there are really only two things that we leave for our children- roots and wings. Roots are easily given; but the wings are so hard to give most of the time.