11.17.2002

Family Skeletons

Mom has shared many, many stories of her family down through the years. Some are a bit rough around their edges since I didn't put them on paper right away. I do my best here to relate them, and in this case, to relate some that were buried from public knowledge for the most part...

Like the one about my Mom's sister Irene, who went to work for a couple in Canada, ended up getting treated like a real-life Cinderella, returning home worse for the wear and expecting a child. The baby ended up not only my Mom's nephew, but a playmate of hers as she was growing up. Irene ended up marrying a wonderful guy who loved her so much that he took the child under his name.

Like the one about my Mom's sister Alberta, who when attending nurse's training in the big city became entranced with a college football player, became pregnant and had to make the hard choice of placing that child for adoption. And yes, she did wonder at times whatever happened to that child...

What a difference time can make. I found myself in the same position, expecting a child without marriage many years after my Aunts, never even knowing they had faced the same situation. In my case, I didn't have to marry anyone, but chose to. As it ended up, it wasn't for the best. But in the end, I am still glad I had all the experiences that came out of those difficult times, as well as my two kids, Eva and Daniel. Whatever we do, whatever we choose, it is what makes us who we are...