My Mom is the oldest of 9 children and my Dad was the youngest of 11. I grew up with a sister who is 5 years younger than me. I can remember growing up and listening to my Aunts and Uncles tell stories about what it was like when they grew up. They had 100s of stories. Amazing stories that kept my ear for hours.
Dad was a pipefiter in the union in Detroit. Mom was a student at the University of Michigan and worked full time. My Great-grandma, Grandpa and Grandma lived in the same house with us out in the country. My dad, with the help of his brothers, built a beautiful house on a lake that we moved into when I was 1. My grandpa and grandma didn't have any retirement so they moved in with us. I spent a lot of time with them and learned quite a bit about life. Raising 11 children while working at a service station was pretty tough, but very rewarding.
Since my grandparents lived with us, and our house was on a lake, every summer most of my cousins would come out to visit. Family reunions were a riot! I looked forward to every party, holiday, wedding... you name it. One particular 4th of July, I snuck out of bed and had my head in the banister. I was listening to all of my aunts and uncles reminiscing about growing up in Centerline, Mi. My dad caught me and asked me why I wasn't in bed. I angrily replied, "Dad, I don't have any stories!" He didn't get it. I was upset that I lived in the country, had only one sibling and my best friend was my dog. Boring!
It was then that I started planning my future. I wanted to get married, live in a neighborhood, have a large family and not have material posesions rule my life. By material posesions I don't just mean "stuff" like cars, boats, toys and tools but also titles and degrees. Over the years I would add to the list of things that were important and I saw a pattern immerging. All of the things that I considered significant involved people and relationships. "It is not what you are doing, where your are doing it or even how you are doing it that matters. What really matters the most is WHO you are doing it with and WHY!"
...to be continued
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Why I chose to start this blog
I regularly get asked about child rearing, family size, economics and a multitude of other questions. Rather than repeating myself I thought it would be interesting to start posting some of my opinions on here. Please remember that these are opinions and may not make sense to you. Take me with a grain of salt. I hope to be entertaining, inspiring and informative. If I make you rethink your life and your surroundings, Great! This is very new to me so please be patient and forgiving. Sincerely, DD
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