We are all products of where we came from. Originally products of our parents, and their hopes and dreams. After they have done their best, and sent us out into the world, it's up to us. Our parents can only hope they have done well, and that their best efforts will be rewarded. Shouldn't we all do our best to prove that they have invested their time and resources wisely? My son, Jerod, once told me that the last thing he wanted to do, is disappoint me. What more could I ask for?
As for myself, I am the product of 1954 in Wann, Oklahoma. Wann is a VERY small town of about 110 citizens, at that time. My aunt was the operator of the telephone switchboard, two of my aunts were cooks at the school, my uncle ran the motor grader that graded the gravel roads in town, another uncle repaired the school buses, and another uncle was the janitor at the school. I know I've lost count, but I believe nearly 25% of the school was related to me in one form or another. I just assumed that this was the way it was everywhere.
In 1968 we moved to Pawnee, Oklahoma, another small town by some standards at nearly 2,500 people. It was a bit of an awakening, to say the least. It did reinforce the fact that family is important.
Like Jerod, I strove to always please my parents, but I wasn't as much of a success as my son. I drove my mother crazy sometimes and I believe she lost a lot of sleep on my account. More than once she said, "Wait till your dad gets home."
I was one of those kids that only a mother could love and I will be eternally grateful that she loved unconditionally.
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