Family Resemblance

Growing up, I never saw the resemblance between myself and my sisters.  I'd think my whole family (either side) was crazy if they said I looked either more like my mom or my dad.  I didn't think I looked like either one, much less like either one of my sisters.

However, I believe this paradigm has changed.  More than once, I've caught myself looking quite like my older sister, as well as feeling like her.  I've found myself using similar mannerisms she would use.  Not that this is a bad thing; it just goes to show that I'm more like my family in looks and mannerisms than I first thought growing up.

Thanks to digital technology, it's now much easier to look at yourself in the face, albeit just a picture.  But since doing so, I've decided I actually look something similar to my grandfather on my mom's side.  Same distinctive nose, and (even somewhat full) lips.  Both my mother and older sister have these same features.

I've also been told repeatedly (much to my chagrin) that my general figure is that of my aunt's, only this one on my dad's side.  After living with her for a little less than a year (where the ability to compare and contrast was readily available), I must begrudgingly agree with them.  If it were a perfect world, it isn't the frame I would choose in a heartbeat.

But I will live with it, since I have no other choice.  It makes me wonder though - how many generations before me carried the features I now have, and how many after me will still have traces of the same?

It's a thought.