What are the "life" rubrics I use? Each thing on
the rubric ties to a person in my life. I want to be dedicated like my
Grandpepe, He stayed married to the same woman for over 70 years. 40 years into
his marriage, when he retired, he learned that the wife he thought he knew was
a stranger to him. At some point in the first 40 years of marriage my Grandmeme
started to drink a lot, she still does, but because my Grandpepe was never home
during the day to see it he had no idea it was so bad. At one point my Grandpepe
told my Meme (grandmother) that he was thinking about divorcing my Grandmeme.
But he did not because he made a promise to her to stick with her till death do
them part. This is only one of the characteristics that made Grandpepe so special.
The next item on my
rubric for life is I want to be generous like my Uncle John. Uncle John died
six years ago this past June. The thing about Uncle John was he would give you
the shirt off his back if you need it. When I was about six or seven years old
my mom decided to take me and my four sisters on a trip to visit her sister in
Kansas and my dad was not able to come. This trip happened only about a year
after 9/11, my youngest sister was only about one year old. Uncle John dropped
everything and took the trip with us. He helped my Mom get all of us to and
from the planes in the airport, at one point we got on the wrong plane. If not
for my Uncle the trip would have been a complete disaster. Everyone who knew
him said the same thing, He would go out of his way to help others. That is want
people to say of me.
Third item on the
rubric is I want to be loving like my Meme. Meme after having six kids decided
that she wanted to adopt. My Meme and Pepe (grandfather) adopted a total of six
kids. They took kids at no one else wanted, kids labeled special needs. Some
had previous adoptions be disrupted for some reason or another. Some of the
kid’s birth parents were in jail for drugs and stealing. One of my Uncles was
in 22 foster homes before he was seven years old. Meme loved them all, she
still does. She gave them childhoods that they never would have had elsewhere. Meme
would tell you that she is too loving, too trusting. But I think she has so
much love in her from her father, Grandpepe, that it can not but help to spill
over all over the place. I love you, Meme!
Forth, I want to be
a woman of faith like Mom. My mom has had some tough hand dealt her. But she
never gave up on God or her family. When I feel discouraged, frustrated or
upset Mom is the person I turn to. I have watched her as she has dealt with
lack of finical resources so that she could stay home with us five. I have
watched her as she dealt with the loss of her brother, Uncle John, and her
grandfather, Grandpepe. I watched her support my father as he went through the
loss of his mother, father and brother Uncle Doug. Through it all she just grew
closer to God.
I could go on and
on but I have already taken to much of your time. Sorry for being so long
winded and Thank you.
