The Leal family organised a lunch so that we all could get together. The lunch took place on May 31st in a Brazilian restaurant at Charneca da Caparica, a popular holiday destination for the middle class in Portugal.
The Leal family organises these gatherings very regularly and have been successful maintaining the family ties for 4 generations now. It is a pleasure to see the young generation (our kids and the kids of our kids), enjoying these gatherings as much as we do.
In this lunch there were 39 members of the family covering the 4 generations. The process of organising these gatherings is amazing to say the least. Every member of this family has very strong ideas about what they want in life and they express their opinions in such a way that leaves no doubts where they stand in any issue, from the menu of the gathering to the latest world crisis.
However after long arguments during the planning stage of any gathering they always find a common ground where they enjoy each others’ company. Being far away from the centre of the clan I am kept up to date with all the details of the planning. Hundreds of emails flow backs and forth right to the last minute before the gathering and then almost by miracle everything falls in place.
It is very funny to follow it and at the same time amazing. It would be great if the great leaders of this world could take a leaf from the Leal family democratic process and fix all the arguments of this world.
