Week 12: Family Day

Since Jairo’s brother and sister and niece were in town for the funeral, we invited them to stay at our house overnight and visit. It was the first time they had been to our apartment. We got home in the evening and Jairo’s sister and I made dinner. We got to talk a lot, which was fun, and she taught me how to make something new! Over dinner they told me stories about when they were kids, and then we fell asleep watching movies. The next day we had a movie marathon and hung out, enjoying each other’s company.

I was sad when they had to leave. Jairo’s family from the beginning has always accepted me as part of the family and treated me really great. They have been a huge blessing to me, because here in Ecuador my only family is my husband.

When I think about our families, and how easily they have accepted each other, I think this is really the way it should be. They say, “You’re not losing a son, you’re gaining a daughter” but I think in most cases, that’s not really true. There’s all kinds of family politics and generally even though the two families usually behave, they don’t really love each other. However, in our case, my parents came to Ecuador for our wedding and met Jairo’s family, and at the wedding we all celebrated as one family. One big family with about as many differences as you can imagine. My parents felt good knowing that Jairo and his family love me, because they are far away from me, and can have some peace of mind knowing I’m in good hands. Jairo’s family accepted us as a bonus to the family. It was genuinely fun and nice.

I think this is part of God’s design for marriage. The man and woman leave their families and form their own, but even so, your family is what made you who you are, for good or bad. You might leave the house, but the family stays with you. They become your support system. In our case, my parents and my in-laws call us about once a week to check in, tell us they love us, and, recently, to warn us about the swine flu! I really am grateful to God for providing two great families for me, and I hope that all married couples can experience what a blessing it is.