Friday, September 17, 2010

Stories from an Unconventional Childhood, Week Fifteen

This is the final installment of my life stories. A special thank you to Janna at Mommy's Piggy Tales for doing this project and letting us all play along. It's been a blast tripping down memory lane, even if I was frequently scrambling to get my post finished. Another thank you goes to Spitfire for pestering me encouraging me to join in. You uncorked the genie and now you're stuck hearing all the stories to come.



When last I wrote, I had just received a proposal on Valentine's Day. I said yes. Well, the rest of the year went along and we finally reached graduation. After my brief stint at college, my boyfriend and I did tie the knot on New Year's Day. It's been a wild ride since. This only child from such an odd background went on to become the consummate homebody and mother of 10. I learned to cook and sew and knit and crochet. I worked as a receptionist, a convenience store clerk and a picture framer. I studied the florist business and accounting. We moved around some when we were first married and looking for work, but we have now lived in the same town for 20 years. It seems my gypsy days are over. I don't miss them.

They say that time heals all wounds. I don't know if that's true, but time does give us perspective. Over time, I have realized that some of the scary situations I was put in as a child weren't my parents first choice either. They were fighting to survive and doing the best they could. I can only hope my own mistakes as a parent are viewed in the future with the same charity.

This project has brought back so many memories, both good and bad. I plan to continue on my own, writing some of the smaller details and stories that have come to mind in the course of recording these stories here. I remembered the scare we had in sixth grade when a criminal was on the loose and going through a hurricane and stepping on a snake and raising various animals over the years and spelunking and ... well, you get the idea. There is still lots to tell. Who knows. Maybe I'll write a book. I'm not sure who would buy such a thing, but you never know. Maybe I'll use my life as the basis of a fictional book so it doesn't sound quite so crazy. Time will tell.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010