According to Instagram and Facebook it looks like everyone stuffed themselves and had a good time with family!
I was thinking yesterday how blessed I am to have siblings. As you get older you think about being alone more and more. My parents are gone and have been for over 20 years. I remember when my Mom was dying.....she told all 4 of us that we need to stick together. No matter what.
We might disagree about things but we are all we have now. I think I have blogged about this before but I was so lucky to have Eleanor "Sis" Crawford Jackson as my Mom. She taught me about real love and forgiveness.
She had to forgive herself for doing something that goes against her very core. Give up a child for adoption.....which we learned about after her death.
The facts are kind of fuzzy as it was a huge secret and most of her family is gone. The details aren't really that important but she did try to tell us during the last few days of her life however I think she was still afraid to share..... having kept the secret for over 50 years. We aren't even sure my Dad knew.
After giving up her child she moved to San Antonio, Texas and met my Dad. They were married within a couple of weeks and I was born 9 months later. The picture above defines their relationship....I believe they were meant to be together.....for 45 years until he died of a heart attack at 63.
About a year or so ago my sister got an email from our brother. He is a few years older that I am........was adopted and had a great life. He came to Atlanta for a visit.
I think he wanted to know what his biological Mom was like and maybe have closure on his part about why she gave him up. We all answered as many questions as we could to help peace together the story.
All of this today is because I was listening to a podcast....Armchair Expert with Dax Sheppard.
His guest was Gordon Keith [who I had not heard of] but the two of them are pretty darn funny together! Dax was talking about his Dad who he was estranged from until about the last few months of his life. He talked about resentment and holding a grudge....to never make peace because you are determined to WIN.
I know friends who are estranged from a parent....or a child because they feel they have been wronged but I don't think that has to be your identity. There are many times I have felt victimized in life but I don't want it to define me because being right is not that important in the end.
You know like "you'll show them" "when I die they will be sorry".....I kind of think you are the one who will be sorry.
I can honestly say that there is NOTHING any of my family could do that I would not forgive.
Whoa...enough preaching.
My sister had us over for dinner since my brother stayed with his family in Hilton Head and my other sister was in California having dinner with her mother in law who is 98, still drives, pays her own bills and walks 2 miles a day!
I was so thankful to have a sister that owns a restaurant [so I did not have to cook....].
We came home and finished up Netflix Narcos Mexico.
Quiet times.
Shayreflecting
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