Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. – George Burns 1896-1996, American Comedy Actor.

 

 

            My family is very loving.  It was all we had when I was growing up.  My father was a disabled veteran home from Viet Nam.  My mom when to work when I was little and in the 70’s there weren’t many jobs around here, let alone jobs for women.  She did anything and everything, working in factories and waiting tables.  $100 a week for 6 people didn’t go far, even then.

            For a wile, my parents split up just so we could get financial assistance, AFDC, which stands for Aid for Families with Dependant Children.  My dad lived with his aunt and paid $7 in child support.  He only made $9 at the time on disability and my mom used to give him the money back.  Meanwhile we got all of our medical and dental taken care of, food stamps, and so on. 

            I never understood any of it at the time.  I was too young to know what money was.  I never went hungry, cold, or naked and as a kid I guess that’s all I cared about.  My parents loved us kids and that is what counted.  My dad adopted my older 2 brothers and my sister when we were all pretty young.  We don’t consider each other half siblings or anything like that.

             My dad was also a drunk.  Not the out all night type.  Oh no.  He stayed home and drank himself silly.  One 24 case of PBR every night.  That was the way it was and it was his house so anyone who didn’t like it TOUGH.  He would never of hurt one of us physically, but the booze sure did make him rough I can tell you that.

            Being the youngest, I saw my other siblings get in one scrape after another.  I wanted no part of it.  Some can say I was chicken, others can say I was cowed.  I tell you I was smart.  My dad used to come to my room and check on my nearly every night.  There would be no sneaking out to party for Miss Shari, even if I had wanted to.  I learned not to question my daddy, and I learned it early. 

            My mom moved to follow her job with GM.  My dad followed a while later.  My close-knit family, who used to get together every weekend, fell apart quickly.  My mom was the loving glue that held us together and without her around my sibs just let lives go to hell in a hand basket.  Oh well, nothing I could do about it.

            My dad died Memorial weekend 2002.  It was a rough time for all of us.  He was a special man, even if he was tough.  My mom now lives in Florida and I miss her pretty badly.  My sister lives there too, so does my mothers sister and brother.  She has a lot of support there and loves every minute so I try not to be sad.  She loves the idea of never having to deal with snow again.

            NO matter how hard she begs, moving down there isn’t in the cards for me.  I have a mortgage and all that stuff.  The cost of living down there is terrible too … my sister’s house cost like 5 times what mine does up here and I don’t thing jobs pay near that well.  So I will stay up here with my BF and put up with winter. 

 

This is my rant for the day. 

 

Peace Out

Well..hmm. I have to say I love my mom and dad dearly and could deal with them every day. However, I'm glad that dealings with my "extended" family are restricted to special occassions! There are benefits to only seeing certain family members so often and that is a little saying that goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. LOL Sounds like you had a pretty hectic childhood. I'm so sorry about your father's passing sis.

Well I for one have never understood how you turned out the way you did raised in the same household with the others. On the other hand ..HEY...my siblings and I are very different!

Glad you decided to stay here and brave old man winter. I would hate to lose my BF and Max's Aunt Shari! :)

Really sounds like you had a hectic childhood, like B said. Mine was very calm in comparison to that. I've always lived in the same city, have only moved twice within. I'm an only child and get along greatly with my parents, well, most of the time. The parts of the family that we're still in contact with live close, the others don't live far away either but if we see each other on the streets, one ignores the other....that is fine by me.

despite the problems you may have had in your childhood you became a wonderful, caring, loving person sis! And while I can understand how much you miss your mum, I'm kinda glad that you stayed to cope with winter because I know it would have been equally hard for you to be away from April.

stay the way you are sis!