I'm the oldest girl in a family of seven children. Our mother
died of breast cancer when I was 16 yrs. old. My dad & my siblings
depended on me to help keep our house in order. A typical Friday
after school meant loading 7 bushel baskets of laundry into the car,
heading to the laundramat where my sister, Pam & I loaded as many
machines as needed with the wash. She would stay there and get
everything in dryers, while I headed to the grocery store to get food
for the week for eight people. The grocery cart would be filled to
overflow because after all, there were five males at our house. I'd
fill the trunk with food, rush back to the laundramat and help Pam
fold all the clothes. We'd carefully fill the baskets with clean
laundry and head for home. We'd haul all the food & clothes into the
house, give everyone their clothes, put the food away and ask Dad if
we could go to the basketball game. I learned that there are rewards
after hard work.
One day my youngest brother, Red, didn't feel well and because it
was rainy & damp outside, I told him that he better not go outside to
play. An hour or so later, I asked him if he would go get the
newspaper (out by the road), he looked at me with tears in his eyes
and said, "If I'm too sick to go out and play, I'm probably too sick
to go out & get the paper." I got tears in my eyes too and told him
that he was absolutely right. I learned to listen & to empathise.
I married too young, just barely 18 yrs. old, and had three
lovely children, one after another. My husband left us while the kids
& I were at a Christmas party after eleven years of marriage. I've
never been so frightened. I went to community college, earned an
Associate's Degree and got a job. I learned that I could count on
myself. I also learned that my children trusted me to take good care
of them because they felt safe with me.
My youngest son helped build a house while in high school and
wanted to be a carpenter. He got his journeyman's certificate and
bought his first house before he was 21 years old. My father, uncles,
grandfather and brothers are all carpenters - I "learned" that it must
be genetic to want to build things. People who build things are happy
in their work.
My daughter went to college and became a nurse who takes care of
children with cancer. I believe she is an angel on earth to her
patients and their families. She has attended too many funerals but
the best part of her life's work are the children who get well. I
learned that you always have a little more to give to others.
My oldest boy went to college, got his bacholors degree and was
headed to the Peace Corp. when he was in a near fatal car accident.
He broke a lot of body parts and suffered a closed head injury. He
was in the hospital from August through the following April and then
went to rehab facilities. He recently earned his Master's Degree in
Library Sciences. You can see by looking at him that he has been
injured but he has amazing courage. I learned to have faith in God,
real faith! I also learned that you just have to do the best you can
in this life and then give it to God.
My son has a friend that's been at my house since before they
were in kindergarder. He is like another son to me. He married, got
a divorce, and married again. He had 2 sons with his first wife and
another son with his second wife. When they got their 3rd son his
chicken pox vaccine, it almost killed him and we learned that he had
aids. He died before he was 4 years old. I learned that a heart can
be broken many times. I also learned that love isn't about time but I
may have learned that when I was 16 years old.
I work for a major car company and the nonsense that goes on at
work isn't important to me. I'm taking pottery classes and I love
what I create, I hope to get good at it someday. I love to garden and
have a nice yard. I am turning into the old woman that younger women
come to for advice and encouragement. I'm flattered that through the
years I learned something that I can share with others.