Experiencing connections through generations.
Sometimes, a single week makes the past feel alive again, reminding us of the people who quietly shape who we are.
Remembering Those Who Shaped Us
This week has been filled with reflection and memory. I’ve been thinking a lot about my father and the people who were part of his world—people whose lives continue to ripple through mine.
My father passed away at 57, leaving behind a nineteen-year-old me and so many memories that shaped who I am today.
Merid, who played such an important role in bringing him home from Budapest after his death, passed away this week. Last month, I also heard that Dr. Minassie, another senior figure in my father’s life, had died. Their absence reminds me of how fleeting time can be, and yet how deeply people can leave their mark on our lives.
In the midst of these reflections on family and memory, another story, quite unrelated, caught my attention recently. A young person who had aged out of the social care system faced incredible challenges, and one of the distinguished speakers on the television panel spoke passionately about the repeated failings of justice and young people’s need for care and protection.
In that moment, I felt the symbolic presence of Merid and Dr. Minassie. Though I barely knew them personally, they were influential figures in my father’s career, and their guidance indirectly shaped the course of our family’s life and well-being. Their integrity and commitment stood as a quiet testament to justice and compassion. We made their example, in a sense, part of our family, and drew strength from the values they embodied.
“Even without blood ties, people who offer a sense of justice, care, and guidance can become part of our emotional family.”
When Strangers Become Family
Family, I’ve realized, is often composed first and foremost by strangers. The ideal of a perfectly bound family is more fantasy than reality, and parents don’t always succeed in cementing a connection between siblings. Sometimes children find comfort in leaning closer to friends than to their brothers or sisters.
Does the social care system take family for granted, assuming bonds exist rather than recognizing how fragile and complex they can be? This reminds me that family is not only inherited—it can also be chosen. Figures like Merid and Dr. Minassie show that people who offer justice, care, and guidance can become part of our emotional family, sustaining us across generations in ways that are both meaningful and tangible.
Life’s Next Generation
And yet, life continues, reminding me of the next generation. Now, at 57, I watch my own 19-year-old young adult growing into the world. It’s a strange and beautiful symmetry—seeing the next generation come of age, carrying forward our love, our stories, and a little piece of all those who came before us.
“Life moves in circles, and we are bound together across time by memory, connection, and care.”
This week has reminded me that the people we love shape us in ways we may not always see. Remembering them is not only a way of honoring their lives, but also a way of holding close the threads that continue through each new generation.
