The Finger horde

I am one of 8 children of Marvin and Helen Finger. Once upon a time, large families weren't all that unusual. But now when I tell people how many siblings I have, it's not uncommon to get a look as if I'd just told them I'd teleported here from Neptune.

Here's a shot of the eight of us on the front porch of the family home, taken four years ago. We're eight distinct personalities, and we've gone into very different professions.

But bring us together, and we're a force to be reckoned with. I remember when we converged on Kansas City for my twin brother's wedding in the early '90s, others at the hotel that served as our base of operations would get this look on their faces like, "Who are those people?" Not so much because we were out of control...more because we had so much energy and enthusiasm.

I saw some of that at Branson last summer when we had our family's "annual meeting" gathering at the timeshare our parents purchased out there. It can be a source of pride...or consternation....depending on what we're up to.

But that's family for you.

And in case you're wondering, my twin brother is the guy on the far left with the mustache and white T-shirt.