Sure, they’ve got a lot of problems, but when it counts, they really come through.
For my father’s side: When my grandmother had her second stroke a few months ago and was pronounced a vegetable, they immediately decided that Grandma’s wishes were what counts and she was taken off life support, cremated and interred exactly where she always said she wanted to be. I feared that there would be fighting and weepy accusations, but everyone calmly agreed and then drank a beer in honor of Grandma while sitting around the table and telling stories of fun times we all had with her.
For my mother’s side: When my great uncle was alive, he accrued a large amount of money by playing the stock market and being smart and frugal with his investments. My mother and my uncle were the executors of his estate when he died, and they never fought over money or the way things were handled. Everyone got their piece of Uncle Otto’s legacy and everyone is happy with the way things were handled.
Recent threads (especially the one about the girl who’s parents won’t give her some bonds left to her by a relative) and the Terri Schaivo case have really gotten me thinking about my family and how, even with all their flaws, they are truly a fantastic group of people.