Family is a Four Letter Word

I have a large family. They are insane. Yet, we work. Not well all the time, but for the most part. I'm sure largely in part to the distance between us. Now, I know I have family all over the freakin' planet, but I'm talking my immediate family, my sisters, dad and Doris (dad's 2nd wife). I'll start with Doris... she joined our motley group a short 3 years ago. After Mom died, it was hard to see Daddy so damn sad, but he was understandably, they were married for 44 years. Despite their rocks, they did love each other, and all bridges burned over the years were mended before her passing. Or at least patched enough to cross and forgive. Daddy was sad-until Doris came along. He had met her YEARS ago when he was in grade school. He went to school with her late husband, had known her vaguely-they did both grow up in the same small Texas town of Galveston after all-but got to know her better as a widower, and grew to love her. She is an easy person to love, I have learned, and I'm glad that he has her.



Daddy is a dork sometimes, ok most of the time, but if you've read my previous entry, you'll know just how much he has come to mean to me in the past 7 years. Losing Dub recently has only made it more vivid that Daddy won't be here indefinitely. He's been feeling much better, and back to his dorky self, which is good. Losing Daddy will crush me, I think. But we won't dwell on that.



The main reason for this ramble-on is my sisters. There are six of us... all girls, no brothers of blood relation. In birth order, Jerilyn, Laura, Marcia, Monica, Patti and me. I love each of them respectfully, and all of them as a whole. I love the fact that I have sisters and that we are so close. Some closer than others, and I'll get to that...



Jerilyn is 17 years older than me, and acts every bit of it. She has assumed (very much of her own accord) the matriarchal position, which is both a little annoying and really characteristic of her. She has this first-born people-pleaser I-must-be-in-control-of-every-situation thing. While there are times when it's nice to have that type around, many times we just want her to sit down and CUT IT OUT. She is not much of a sentimental person, she's the anti-pack rat, successful in her personal and professional lives. She married, but they never had any children-I was never privvy to the reason. But she is content to be the proverbial Aunt to the entire family. A good person, but very dry personality, not a wallflower, but not the cut up that many of us are. She's got the type-A personality control issues, but not SUCH the achiever that people want to shoot her.



Laura... 14 years older, 2 grown sons, 4 grandkids, and one amazingly devoted husband who just passed (see prev blogs from early-mid Sept). Laura was the first official child of my parents marriage, Jerilyn being the product of Mom's first marriage-he died when she was pregnant and Mom and Daddy married 3 yrs later. Though she was first biologically for Daddy, she was the 2nd child officially, and due to Jerilyn missing her bio-dad completely, was overlooked for that reason. Laura suffered from severely low self esteem issues, and had psychological help as a child. She is now a better-rounded person, many friends, sharp smartass tongue, but a great person, much in part due to CW's influence. Tough, smart, and self sufficient. She and I roomed together when I was a baby and until she left after graduation, and in the last 12 years have become very close. We need each other, and we'll jump... as fast as we can.



Then there's Marcia. Born in '59, so 12 years older. Here's our Type A. She's a super-over-achiever, having graduated college with a degree in PHYSICS and later getting her MBA. She's smart, driven, and the bacon-bringer-homer. Married, also with 2 boys, they are 11 and nearly 8. She is "Marcia Marcia Marcia!" to a tee, always the prettiest, the smallest, the most successful... Jan Brady REALLY would have hated her... We get along well, I enjoy her wit, she likes the toilet humor like I do, and we have a some things in common, but watching her with her husband and her kids, she makes me want to slap the both of them. Kerry, too, is a great guy, dependable, a good brother-in-law, but, well, lets say their parenting skills are somewhat lacking. The boys, we like to call them Frasier and Niles as they are weenies just the same, start gnawing at eachother like siblings do, but Marcia and Kerry throw empty threats their way and the boys know it. So, nothing is resolved except those guys KNOW that they can get away with a lot-and they do. Growl.

Note: today is Oct 9. I meant to finish this before and just didn't and the growl got away from the grizzly before I could finish...I'll revisit family again, after Thanksgiving, I'm sure!!