Finding Your Roots...

Just a few brief thoughts on the importance of family…

I was in St Louis over Easter weekend and I gotta say it was the one of the best string of days I’ve had in a long time. Sadly, it wasn’t a romantic weekend getaway but no worries – I spent it with family and had a most outstanding time. My grandmother whom I was very close with passed away not long ago and Easter weekend was her official inurnment ceremony for the family; held in St. Louis because it's the home of her family mausoleum and also the home of the Shaw family clan; She actually lived in Denver, CO. Folks came from all over for the occasion: California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Missouri (and of course Pennsylvania) to honor her memory, be with family and just “be”.

Most would insert here ‘the shorter the stay the better’ but I must thankfully disagree.

I grew up an army brat so I’ve moved around 'quite' a bit in my life. After high school I pretty much just kept the tradition going, moving every year or every two years. I’ve moved as much as 3 times in one year and while the experience afforded me the opportunity to surround myself with a of variety of people, cultures, thoughts and ideas – it's very difficult to know where your roots are and it’s fairly easy to lose your ground. Reflecting on it, I think it’s important for everyone to have some ‘safe harbor’ whether it be a place or a group of people you love who constantly remind you that you are loved.

A few years ago I reconnected with another side of our Shaw clan; a side of the family whose roots go very deep and very wide in St. Louis. As soon as I met my string of other cousins, uncles and grand uncles I felt that airy sense of 'wow, we are so totally related' - primarily because we have 'the voice' that carries and a very strange sense of humor. Anyway, what a terrific feeling - accompanied by a large dose of familiarity and truth.

I could have stayed with any number of people spread out between St. Louis, Clayton and Chesterfield county. They were all so generous to offer-up rooms but there’s a unique part of the Shaw family history that I wanted to be close to; an attempt to touch another part of the past I guess. Shaw Park. A beautiful spread centered in the heart of downtown St. Louis and named after my great grandfather, Charles Shaw, who served as Clayton’s Mayor for 7 years in the 1930’s. 100% Italian and adopted at an early age - that man I tell you sprouted some strong lines...

So I booked a room instead and treated my mom to a weekend stay at the Ritz just two blocks away. By-the-by, if you ever stay at the Ritz, you must have Club Lounge status particularly for stays more than two days…free drinks, free food all day makes your stay and the price you pay all the more worth while. The treatment at the St. Louis Ritz is spectacular. The staff is wonderful, the sushi bar – fabulous. <> And if you’re ever up in the Club Lounge, say hi to Mary for me - one of the sweetest ladies you will ever meet. Before I took my mom to the airport she was kind enough to pack her an “airplane lunch to go”. Treatment du jour.

Forgot where I was going with this...

Anyway, it’s a near fifteen hour drive from my apartment to St. Louis and on my way home I was thinking about those wonderful past few days and I thought how lucky I am to have such strong family connections and such large family connections. What a peaceful thing it is to be surrounded by fun loving people who share my dry sense of humor and love for ‘storytelling’, and who reflect those same familial qualities (good and bad) that have made me who I am as a person. It’s that feeling of ‘belonging’ that I love; it’s almost like a blanket of calm that is so thick and rich it provides all the warmth I could ever need to feel safe and loved and understood. Like diving under that perfect and perfectly warm down-comforter on a cold, rainy night.