All In The Family

-

I grew up in a large family.  My mother had 6 children.  But that was at the end of the boomer cycle.  Today, large families are unusual.  Case in point:  I have one son.  He is almost 40 years younger than I am.  

At this time, my son works as a department manager at a local grocery store.  He opted to spend some time in the Marines, after which he decided that collage was not for him.  He's smart enough that he could have followed my career path in Engineering or Computers, but he figured that piling up $100K in student loan debt didn't make any sense.

Last Friday, I celebrated my 66th birthday with dinner at a local resteraunt.  I was fortunately that my son agreed to come to dinner, and even better, he finally introduced his girl friend to us (he had only told us her name a couple of months ago).  Yes, they, my wife and I had a good time at dinner, but the important thing is that we got to meet his girl friend.  Hallelujah!  She's a keeper.  There is finally hope that the family line will continue.  Ok, even if he doesn't get married and have a family, the family name will not die out.  My brother has at least one boy.  

Yes, there's more to the family that me, my wife, and my son. I also have a step-daughter from my wife's first marraige.  In addition to my brother and his kids, I have two living sisters, each with kids.  I am the oldest.  That makes me the patriarch of our little family... my parents having passed away before I ever got married.  Sure I have in-laws: my wife's mom and her husband, her sister, and her (e)stranged brother, as well as their kids (two and at least three, respectively).  Not a huge number of people, but respectable.

When I was young, family was a more important part of our life.  My brother and sisters (four initially) lived fairly close to my grandparents (mom's side), as well as her Aunt and Uncle and their three boys.  Times have changed.  How, the family is scattered to the wind.  We live in North Carolina.  My brother hails from Missouri.  One sister lives in Alaska, with the other having spent the last few years in China.  There's a neice and nephew as well.  My wife's family is similarly spread out, hailing from North Dakota, California, and Alabama.  Being so far apart, there is no incentive to make physical visits, and not much to make frequent calls.  Sad in one way, but that is family life in the early 21st Century.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Baked

-
Image
  Tomorrow is the annual Summer Speech Spectacular, hosted by my Toastmasters  club.  This event provides an opportunity for Toastmasters from any club to come and present a speech.  Four sessions and four rooms, and three speeches per session adds up to 64 speeches in one day.  In addition, there will be opportunities for people to take a role as Toastmaster, Evaluator, and Timer (one each per session). But this post isn't about my Toastmasters event, except perhaps perifially.  Instead, I'd like to mention that folks bring goodies for participants to browse on.  It has become somewhat of a tradition over the last 8 - 10 years that I bring a loaf or two of fresh baked bread.  In the thumbnail, you can see the two loaves that came out of the oven (about an hour ago).  I have to let them cool for a bit more, and then I have some very nice paper loaf bags to put them in. I picked up the skill of baking bread back in 2005 or 2006, while I was be...
Read more

Keep It Fair

-
Image
  The 2024 Election is upon us.  Yes, its still 5 or 6 weeks away, but we are innundated with commercials in any media format that we follow.  Most people have already made their decision.  This post is not an endorsement of either side, nor is is a demand that the reader should get out and vote.  Instead, I'd like to ponder the subject of Fairness. What is fairness?  It is making sure that every person who wishes to participate in the election process is able to do so.  This may require voter registration, IDs, and other restrictions, but there is no reason why any of these things would block a potential voter. I have worked as an election official for Wake County (NC) for about 15 years.  After serving as an assistant and help desk offical for several years, the Wake Count Board of Elections decided that I was worthy of being the Chief Judge of my precinct.  I expect that I will remain the Chief Judge there until I get tired of it.  Ma...
Read more

Weathering The Storm

-
Image
Tropical Storm Helene is headed north over the Florida Panhandle, and looks like it will be going through the states west of the seaboard.  Even if the storm intensifies to Hurricane status, it won't be hitting my vicinity, but it does serve as a reminder that we should always remain prepared. I don't expect any unusual heavy winds, but the fact that the storm will be pumping water into the atmosphere upwind of me tells me that I can expect heavier than normal rain.  Since this September has already had a fair amount of rainfall, this will undoubtedly result in local area flooding. What kind of preparations should one make if they are potentially in the path of a Hurricane?  Part of this depend on location.  If right on the coast, be prepared to evacuate.  Boarding up windows never hurts.  Having supplies of food and water is a good idea anywhere.  Depending on the temperatures in the area, you may want backup heat and electricity.  A car's gas ta...
Read more