ohana

May 2, 2012 9:31 am

In our family, the professor of the studies on family science is our 6-year-old son – a sparkle of genius imprisoned in the so-called  “inconsistent psychomotor development”, the origin of which remains unknown, despite advanced disagnostics. So on the one hand, our sonny needs a many-sided rehabilitation to catch up with other children, and on the other – he understands in an instant all the issues related to social life. His sensitivity is simply impressive.

A year ago he remembered a quote from one of Disney’s films – about an alien taken in by a little girl (the creature has all sorts of trouble due to his “being different”): “Ohana [in Hawaiian] means family. And family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” It’s been translated into Polish even as  “no one is rejected or abandoned.” I should add, the Hawaiian “ohana” is about opening your heart to all blood-related, but also all close to heart. They all are part of the family.

One evening, when our family gathered round the icon of the Holy Family, our son said, while playing with his toys: “Well, that’s just ohana.”

I don’t know how this fits advanced theology but yes – I think it’s a great working definition of the Holy Family and any good family in general: the supportive bonds, the certainty of being loved. It’s something I’d like to whish for all of us.

Małgosia

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Categorised in: Margaret