marrying into the "georges"
since we got married (a month ago today!), several people have teased Jesse that he was lucky to have married into the george family. in our town, that means marrying into wealth and status.
however, today, jesse discovered -- and i rediscovered -- what it really means to be a part of the george family.
today, we celebrated the life of my great aunt, gloria george, at her funeral. mom mom, as we called her, was an incredibly generous and patient woman who has suffered from Alzheimer's for years. her son (one of 9 children!) gave a beautiful eulogy in her memory, throughout which he made me so proud to be part of the george family.
one reason was his story about his parents. i learned today that mom mom's husband, known as daddy doc, was the first Lebanese doctor in the state of KY. he came to KY with no connections, no money, and no solid education, but he graduated med school and became a doctor (who probably delivered the majority of marion county back in the day!). according to his son, whenever someone asked daddy doc how he managed it, he said, "gloria." his wife. what an incredible love.
in the funeral, one of the grandchildren also mentioned that mom mom never got mad, except when hearing of the hardships in Lebanon (the country) from the news. they prayed that we would never forget where we came from. and that is yet another reason i'm proud to be in the george family. we love our lebanese heritage. it's important to us. (our bereavement dinner had much more than the typical mac 'n cheese and fried chicken. we had piles and piles of lebanese dishes). i'm proud of my heritage.
being a george means so, so much more than people think. it means high expectations, in every part of our lives. it means strong family connections, regardless if you're a first cousin or an in-law. it means strength, confidence, intelligence, faith, and love. and for all of that, i am proud.
so people are right - jesse is lucky to have married a george. but for so many different reasons than they think.
however, today, jesse discovered -- and i rediscovered -- what it really means to be a part of the george family.
today, we celebrated the life of my great aunt, gloria george, at her funeral. mom mom, as we called her, was an incredibly generous and patient woman who has suffered from Alzheimer's for years. her son (one of 9 children!) gave a beautiful eulogy in her memory, throughout which he made me so proud to be part of the george family.
one reason was his story about his parents. i learned today that mom mom's husband, known as daddy doc, was the first Lebanese doctor in the state of KY. he came to KY with no connections, no money, and no solid education, but he graduated med school and became a doctor (who probably delivered the majority of marion county back in the day!). according to his son, whenever someone asked daddy doc how he managed it, he said, "gloria." his wife. what an incredible love.
in the funeral, one of the grandchildren also mentioned that mom mom never got mad, except when hearing of the hardships in Lebanon (the country) from the news. they prayed that we would never forget where we came from. and that is yet another reason i'm proud to be in the george family. we love our lebanese heritage. it's important to us. (our bereavement dinner had much more than the typical mac 'n cheese and fried chicken. we had piles and piles of lebanese dishes). i'm proud of my heritage.
being a george means so, so much more than people think. it means high expectations, in every part of our lives. it means strong family connections, regardless if you're a first cousin or an in-law. it means strength, confidence, intelligence, faith, and love. and for all of that, i am proud.
so people are right - jesse is lucky to have married a george. but for so many different reasons than they think.
posted by lethes | 6:24 PM
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