As I got ready for my Grandnephew's 2nd birthday party, I was looking forward to seeing the family and dreading it at the same time. There's been so much pain, especially with my brother-in-law dying last Memorial Day of a grueling, slow cancer that ate this amazing athlete alive. On top of that one of my sister's disowned me right when I was laid off from my JobCorps teaching job due to the government sequestering. (Thanks Congress!) That was the first time in all my careers to ever be laid off. It was not easy and then to be rejected by my middle sister like that was horrific.
It ended up that she saw some childhood films that my dad had taken of the boys and I hiking. She didn't see any films of her. She actually never hiked with us, so why would there be films of her? She didn't see it that way. She saw it that I was Dad's favorite. My middle sister was always a queen bee, so if she's not the favorite, the favorite shall die! That's really why I was disowned by her. I reversed it on her and told her that I wouldn't talk to her until she finished rehab, since she's an active alcoholic.
So I wanted to see my family, but knew that people were going to be mad at me for heading for Tahoe to get away from all the pain and leaving everyone without the intention of returning. G_d had other plans for me. So He returned me back to the Low Landers, as the Mountain People refer to the valley folks.
As I walked into my niece's new home for the first time, I was greeted by her with a warm hug. That certainly took some of the edge off. I saw my oldest sister, who lost her husband, and she looked at me with a distant, hurt look and continued talking to the person next to her. I walked over to her son, and he gave me a hug. He caught me up on the mother of his son's new life. She has three children from three different men and got married for once, so is off welfare finally! We were horrified by this girlfriend of his. It's such a blessing that she is gone.
Finally, I asked my sister if I could hug her she agreed, and we hugged. Later while we were talking she told me who her real family was. It was her friends from church mostly. It wasn't me according to her. I just smiled and wondered why she felt that that was a godly thing to say to her blood sister who just had a fiance leave her and really needed one of her two sisters.
So I decided a beer would be good and took a swig and tried to find out how my sister has been doing during her first year without her husband, despite her tense mouth when she spoke to me. It took awhile, but eventually she started loosening up. Then my dad and his girlfriend arrived. It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to excuse herself outside. She hated our dad. It was such a shame. Dad had trained her in her profession in his medical office and gave her the seed money to start Laughs Unlimited, but there was no gratitude toward him---just hate. Dad didn't save her house from going to the bank when her son defaulted on his student loan, so according to my oldest sister, he deserved only hate.
Her hatred toward my dad just scares me. It violates one of the most important of the 10 Suggestions---"Honor your father and mother." If you can't honor your earthly mother and father, G_d doesn't find you worthy to honor Him and turns His back on you. That's one suggestion that seems so innocuous, but is so important.
My middle sister didn't show up. I knew she hadn't died of alcoholism, but that was all I knew. I didn't dare asked about her. I had no idea what turmoil would explode upon me, if I even mentioned her name. Had she appeared the discomfort that she would have wreaked upon me would have surely made me leave early, as it has in the past.
After spending time with my grandnephews and inlaws, the room seemed to warm up toward me. My grandnephew really liked the paint and playdough that I got him for his birthday. My niece was wondering where exactly was her son going to be painting, "My house?" lol Blood family is like no other. You can't choose your blood family, but they are very similar to yourself which creates a strong bond.
P.S. To my blog readers: If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at: https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960 Thank You!
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