Recently, my family moved into a new house, a 1920s colonial. Being a 1920s colonial, it has multiple accessibility issues, but they are not significant. My bedroom, bathroom, and essentially everything I need is on one floor, which is great. What was not great, and I emphasize the past tense was was getting into the house. There were steps, about three of them. The steps are still there, but now, also there is a big wooden ramp that looks like a dock. My uncles and my father made it. At my old house, there was a ramp, and I did not really notice it, because it was just… there. Now, it was built for me, by the hands of my family, and now I can get around. It took a few days, but now it is up and it works. My grandmother likes it too because she’s old, and while she can walk, it would be easier not to. What all of this shows is that family is essential, and not in a Hallmark movie emotional sort of way. Oftentimes, especially when you have the complications that I have, having family to help you with things is a physical necessity. That emotional stuff that they make movies about is important, but it does not do justice to the necessity of family. The family fulfills emotional needs, but they also fulfill physical needs. It is often not as big as making a ramp. It can just be a parent making dinner, but family is essential to fulfill our needs. Another thing this shows is that it is good to have a big family, as it was two of my mother’s three brothers who did this for me; if you have a big family, there’s always someone to help out with things like this. I also love having a large extended family because there is often a baby around at family gatherings, but that’s a post for another time.
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