My big fat Greek family

The impact that one person can make on a family can be incredible. I saw this in action this past weekend as I celebrated my great aunt’s 90th birthday. I was not celebrating alone, however. The side of the family that my great aunt belongs to is Greek, so as you can imagine, I was celebrating with more than 50 family members!

It was fascinating to look out across the room and watch a sea of people that I lovingly call my big fat Greek family celebrate together. Some people I was meeting for the first time, while others I had only met once or twice before this party. The part that fascinated me the most was the fact that I have a large number of family members that I know absolutely nothing about. And to think that they all came from just one young girl’s decision to sail across the ocean from Greece to America.

It kind of scares me to think how our decisions impact those around us, even those who aren’t in our lives at the present moment. If my great grandmother had not gotten on that boat, then I never would have been able to enjoy the pleasures of baklava, Greek dancing or loud Greek relatives.

As I watched everyone throughout the party visiting, laughing, dancing and eating, I thought of how much courage my great grandmother must have had to venture out at the age of 14 to a place that was completely foreign to her. I was wondering if I would have that same courage. Would I be able to leave my family and start an adventure in a place that I really know nothing about?

And then I thought maybe I don’t have to know if I would have the courage. Maybe I just have to learn from her and from my great aunts and uncles who carried on her legacy. We spend too much time wondering if we have what it takes. If we were in such and such a position, would we have the courage and stamina to do what that person did?

But I think we have it all wrong. The most rewarding thing that we can do is to learn from the courage and the decisions that were made before us in order to strengthen our own decisions.

Whenever I think of people like my great grandmother, I feel inadequate, because I picture myself not being strong enough if I were ever in their position. But that is not the impact that they wanted to leave us. I think that my great grandmother would rather have me learn to be courageous in my own ways instead of wondering if I would have the courage to do what she did.

This past weekend, I saw just how many people have learned from this courage. Just the fact that we were celebrating a 90th birthday proves how my great grandmother’s dedication and perseverance has trickled down throughout the rest of her family. That and her love for koulourakia!