Family Life

I was looking for a great quote to start my blog with today.  Something profound that might touch folks and inspire them to inspire others.  I guess I would like to help make the world a better place one soul at a time really.  But I came across a whole list of quotes on family life.

Why does this strike a chord with me?  Mostly because family life means so much to me.  So, let me tell you my story of family life, parts of which you will likely have read, if you follow my blogs.  But let’s begin at the beginning.

When I was born, I was given up for adoption.  I was adopted into a family and eventually became the oldest daughter of eight kids.  Six of us are adopted and as we like to tease our two siblings that were not adopted, we were chosen and they were mistakes.  Trust me; this always draws a laugh, because we are that kind of family.

Eventually, I grew up, going through the usual family stuff, the teenage challenges and the finding my way in the adult world.  I married as people often do, but that’s where things became a bit different than in most people’s lives.

My husband did not love me. This I was unaware of and I certainly did not suspect because he told me all the time that he loved me.  It became quite apparent, when he convinced me to have kids.  I wasn't opposed to the idea of having kids, but since I was quite a bit older than my youngest siblings, I always felt like I had my kids,

So, flash forward to my first pregnancy, where I discovered at eight months along that my husband was seeing someone else.  I gave a lot of thought to giving up my child for adoption, because I really believed that a child was best raised by two parents.  But my husband said that he and this other woman would raise her.  Over my dead body!

So, I gave birth to a beautiful baby daughter. I should point out that my husband was dumped by that woman who felt guilty about the situation.  Imagine that!

He talked me into another child and sure enough, he and this woman got back together and when my second child was a week and a half old, left me for this woman, telling me that he had never loved me.

They are, of course married and I raised my two lovely daughters on my own.  This challenge was compounded by the fact that a year after my husband left, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

My beautiful girls are grown and on their own now.  My oldest a very talented hairstylist, is in demand for weddings and photo shoots.  My youngest still has a few more months of post secondary school, studying to be a buyer.  She is already working for Holt Renfrew and has already been approached by Tiffany’s.

So, back to the topic at hand:  Family Life.  My family is not typical, but we love each other and have a great time when we are together.  My kids grew up knowing that they were, and still are, deeply loved and supported by me and the rest of my adopted family and that nothing in insurmountable.