Legends Never Die
Anyone who has access to the inner-workings of my personality knows that the absolute strongest quality my heart exudes is intense, unrivaled passion. Whether it be sports (the Red Sox in particular), the vocals of Geoff Rickley and Davey Havok, a certain girl or a certain group of best friends, when I truly care for something I devote all of the deepest passion that my heart could possibly allow. The deepest and most sincere of all my passions is my family.
Let me tell you a little bit about my family. On my father's side I have 9 aunts and uncles in addition to parents, 10 cousins (all 21+), 3 second cousins and then my two younger sisters Erin and Lauren. Oh, and not to mention my cousin Bryan's girlfriend Jodie, my cousin Debbie's husband Tom, my cousin Michelle's husband Mike, my cousin Matt's wife Heather, my cousin Sean's girlfriend Daniella, my cousin Jimmy's boyfriend Anthony and my cousin Shannon's girlfriend who's name escapes me because she's still kind of new to the family. The majority of American families only see their extended families during momentous occasions such as holidays, graduations, weddings, etc. That's not how the Burns Clan operates.
All of the family and friends I listed above - yes, all 34 of them - go to my grandmother's house in Newton every Sunday and just hang out all day socializing as my Aunt's cook and me and my cousin's try to beat my uncles Jim and Larry to the living room TV so we don't have to endure hours of watching the PGA Tour. Spending all day watching 50 year old men swinging metallic clubs while wearing funny looking pants makes my deep brown eyes want to bleed until my cheeks become stained in a darker crimson than the Chateau Trimoulet St. Emilion Grand Cru merlot that my mom might love just a little too much. But even if we lose the TV war, we still laugh.
Always.
As you can probably tell by now by the sheer size and sense of togetherness emanated by my family, we share a lot of love for each other. No one is bestowed more love than my grandmother Margaret, or 'Ma' as we affectionately call her. Ma is 83 years old and most definitely the sweetest human being I have ever had the pleasure of being acquainted with, and to share the same bloodline with such a remarkable woman is a privilege and honor. In a family built around integrity, loyalty and togetherness, Ma is the centerpiece that we all revolve around.
Margaret Burns is not a perfect woman. She has battled her demons with alcoholism (my mom told me that when I was a baby and I was teething, Ma would rub whiskey on my gums to help ease the pain) and passed that same problem on to three of her six children, my father included. But she lived a good life. She married James Lawrence Burns (name sound familiar?) and raised their four girls and two boys in a beautiful home in the wealthier district of Newton. On the third of May in 1983, her husband - my grandfather - died of a heart attack in his sleep. According to my mom, Ma severely struggled with his death and hit the bottle harder than ever. On May 3, 1986 - exactly three years to the day of my grandfather's passing - my mom gave birth to me and appropriately named me after my grandfather. I have been told on numerous occasions that this series of events led Ma to start believing and embracing the beautiful, magical side of life again, and she has told me time and time again that everytime she looks at me she sees flashes of her late husband and the warmth of her heart captivates her entire body.
It captivates mine as well.
Since then, Ma has been a saint among mere mortals. The kindness of her heart and her impeccable sense of humor were overwhelmingly exhibited just by the mere presense of her in a room. I've never been a believer in God, but Ma has absolutely made me believe in angels on earth. Spend 5 minutes talking with the woman and you'll be hard pressed not to fall in love.
About three months ago, Ma had a bad fall in her home and fractured her hip which required immediate hip replacement surgery. After complications with the initial surgery, Ma required a second hip replacement surgery. For those of you who don't understand the severity of such a procedure, understand this: The Osteoporosis Society of Canada says that of those who fracture their hips, around 20% will die within one year due to complications, which can include pneumonia and deadly blood clots in the lungs. Heart breakingly, Ma has developed blood clotting in her lungs and has been in the hospital ever since her operations. Over this period of time, the beautiful Godsend of a woman has been slowly fading away as her health has continued to deteriorate.
Fearing that death was imminent, doctors told my aunts that it would be best if Ma spends her last days at home for reasons of comfort and closure. Tonight, my entire family - all 34+ of us - gathered at Ma's house in Newton and anxiously awaited for the ambulance to arrive as we watched Jon Lester's Major League debut. Inevitably, I became the topic of conversation as everyone laughed as I devoured my KFC as if I hadn't eaten in five years. Then the ambulance arrived and the laughter faded as watery eyes proved supreme.
Ma, once exuberant and always ready to make everyone laugh or talk about her beloved Red Sox, can't even speak anymore. If you're lucky, you'll get a head nod out of her or some other sign of acknowledgement. She fades in and out of consciousness with the flip of a light switch and her frail body can't even hold solid food because it will crush her lungs. Oh, how the once invincible all of a sudden seems all too mortal.
Ma probably won't make it to next weekend, so tomorrow morning will probably be the last of the infamous Burns family Sundays, but the legacy and values will forever carry on. As will she.
I love you Ma.
Amanda - I'll do my best to make it to your graduation/birthday party tomorrow. I'm going up to Newton in the morning and I'll probably be home in the afternoon. I want to be there for those I care about more than ever before so I'm going to make a sincere effort to be there. I apologize in advance if I'm not a lot of fun.
Let me tell you a little bit about my family. On my father's side I have 9 aunts and uncles in addition to parents, 10 cousins (all 21+), 3 second cousins and then my two younger sisters Erin and Lauren. Oh, and not to mention my cousin Bryan's girlfriend Jodie, my cousin Debbie's husband Tom, my cousin Michelle's husband Mike, my cousin Matt's wife Heather, my cousin Sean's girlfriend Daniella, my cousin Jimmy's boyfriend Anthony and my cousin Shannon's girlfriend who's name escapes me because she's still kind of new to the family. The majority of American families only see their extended families during momentous occasions such as holidays, graduations, weddings, etc. That's not how the Burns Clan operates.
All of the family and friends I listed above - yes, all 34 of them - go to my grandmother's house in Newton every Sunday and just hang out all day socializing as my Aunt's cook and me and my cousin's try to beat my uncles Jim and Larry to the living room TV so we don't have to endure hours of watching the PGA Tour. Spending all day watching 50 year old men swinging metallic clubs while wearing funny looking pants makes my deep brown eyes want to bleed until my cheeks become stained in a darker crimson than the Chateau Trimoulet St. Emilion Grand Cru merlot that my mom might love just a little too much. But even if we lose the TV war, we still laugh.
Always.
As you can probably tell by now by the sheer size and sense of togetherness emanated by my family, we share a lot of love for each other. No one is bestowed more love than my grandmother Margaret, or 'Ma' as we affectionately call her. Ma is 83 years old and most definitely the sweetest human being I have ever had the pleasure of being acquainted with, and to share the same bloodline with such a remarkable woman is a privilege and honor. In a family built around integrity, loyalty and togetherness, Ma is the centerpiece that we all revolve around.
Margaret Burns is not a perfect woman. She has battled her demons with alcoholism (my mom told me that when I was a baby and I was teething, Ma would rub whiskey on my gums to help ease the pain) and passed that same problem on to three of her six children, my father included. But she lived a good life. She married James Lawrence Burns (name sound familiar?) and raised their four girls and two boys in a beautiful home in the wealthier district of Newton. On the third of May in 1983, her husband - my grandfather - died of a heart attack in his sleep. According to my mom, Ma severely struggled with his death and hit the bottle harder than ever. On May 3, 1986 - exactly three years to the day of my grandfather's passing - my mom gave birth to me and appropriately named me after my grandfather. I have been told on numerous occasions that this series of events led Ma to start believing and embracing the beautiful, magical side of life again, and she has told me time and time again that everytime she looks at me she sees flashes of her late husband and the warmth of her heart captivates her entire body.
It captivates mine as well.
Since then, Ma has been a saint among mere mortals. The kindness of her heart and her impeccable sense of humor were overwhelmingly exhibited just by the mere presense of her in a room. I've never been a believer in God, but Ma has absolutely made me believe in angels on earth. Spend 5 minutes talking with the woman and you'll be hard pressed not to fall in love.
About three months ago, Ma had a bad fall in her home and fractured her hip which required immediate hip replacement surgery. After complications with the initial surgery, Ma required a second hip replacement surgery. For those of you who don't understand the severity of such a procedure, understand this: The Osteoporosis Society of Canada says that of those who fracture their hips, around 20% will die within one year due to complications, which can include pneumonia and deadly blood clots in the lungs. Heart breakingly, Ma has developed blood clotting in her lungs and has been in the hospital ever since her operations. Over this period of time, the beautiful Godsend of a woman has been slowly fading away as her health has continued to deteriorate.
Fearing that death was imminent, doctors told my aunts that it would be best if Ma spends her last days at home for reasons of comfort and closure. Tonight, my entire family - all 34+ of us - gathered at Ma's house in Newton and anxiously awaited for the ambulance to arrive as we watched Jon Lester's Major League debut. Inevitably, I became the topic of conversation as everyone laughed as I devoured my KFC as if I hadn't eaten in five years. Then the ambulance arrived and the laughter faded as watery eyes proved supreme.
Ma, once exuberant and always ready to make everyone laugh or talk about her beloved Red Sox, can't even speak anymore. If you're lucky, you'll get a head nod out of her or some other sign of acknowledgement. She fades in and out of consciousness with the flip of a light switch and her frail body can't even hold solid food because it will crush her lungs. Oh, how the once invincible all of a sudden seems all too mortal.
Ma probably won't make it to next weekend, so tomorrow morning will probably be the last of the infamous Burns family Sundays, but the legacy and values will forever carry on. As will she.
I love you Ma.
Amanda - I'll do my best to make it to your graduation/birthday party tomorrow. I'm going up to Newton in the morning and I'll probably be home in the afternoon. I want to be there for those I care about more than ever before so I'm going to make a sincere effort to be there. I apologize in advance if I'm not a lot of fun.