Measuring Histories: Brother by Brother by Brother
My three younger brothers are the medium through which I represent both my cultural and my personal history. Telling people I have three younger brothers usually elicits a shocked, sympathetic response. As I further relate that we are each two years apart, the resulting gasps and wide eyes lead me to quickly explain that we are an Irish Catholic family. Somehow that qualifier provides a sort of clarity and my audience usually regains composure.
If our pale skin does not give away our Irish heritage, our names certainly do the trick: Kathleen, Quinn, Hugh, and Rory. Although I have never visited the land of my ancestors, having a big, close family has always been my way of understanding my heritage. I find that my big immediate family is unique among my peers, and it’s become the cultural identity I cherish the most.
Growing up with brothers has also defined my personal history. In their own ways they teach me and inspire me and, occasionally, love me. I have become the person I am today because of our pillow forts, our hair-pulling fights, our walking-to-school-in-the-Catholic-school-uniforms-that-never-stayed-clean.
So thanks, kiddos, for the memories. And for being a cooperative medium. :p