Mi Familia
There’s nothing more important than family and I’m so very glad I finally realized that before it was too late being one who matured later in life once they got away from sipping that “corporate Kool-Aid”. Bottom line–I didn’t have my priorities in order for a very, very long time!
Thank goodness for my wife of 44 years, La Bear, as she has been the one constant through “thick and thin” who has been the glue that has kept our family, which at times, has seemed like a “house of cards”, together and from crashing to the ground.
Our family has seemingly always appeared to be a normal (whatever that means today) functional family and for the most part, that has been the case. But clearly understand in every functional family, there exists a certain amount of dysfunction as there is no “perfect” family.
I’m an only child and my parents were married for 58 years while my wife is one of eight children whose parents divorced when she was twelve. With this split, La Bear, not only was responsible for taking care of herself, but for both a younger brother and sister while her mother, now a single parent, was always at work. They say opposites attract and that is certainly true in our case.
We suffered through a very unfortunate and devastatingly sad experience on Christmas Eve, 1980, when our first son was stillborn. However, in 1982, La Bear, gave birth to our son, The King, and again in 1984 our daughter, Baby Bear, was born.
La Bear has dedicated her entire life, unselfishly, to raising her family giving her all each and every day providing total unconditional love with only one simple wish in return and that being her family just be “happy” which, at times, has proven to be a “tall order”. But, today, all in all, I believe her wish has come true.
My immediate family is very small–only 9 to be exact–myself, La Bear, The King, Baby Bear, our son-in-law, Big Red, our son’s most significant other, Spanks, our two 5-year-old beagle sisters, Biggs and Bitsy, and the most wondrous little grandson, Master M. We did however and were very saddened, unfortunately, to lose our 11-year-old older sister to Biggs and Bitsy this year, Betsy.
La Bear has created a family “pecking order” and Biggs and Bitsy had maintained the top position, but have been dethroned by the arrival of Master M. The other spots on the “pecking order” go back and forth other than that of last place which is permanently held by me!
There’s much more I wish to share with you as it pertains to family and, in particular, my relationship with La Bear and our children as I’ve had come to terms with my shortcomings and human frailties, but that’s for a future time. Today, I’m just very proud of and wanted to introduce you to Mi Familia!