There is no perfect family.

Dad was extremely controlling, disciplined and a man of strong will and honor. My Mom was bipolar, my sister was histrionic and self centered. Andy felt entitled and that he was always right. Rick was the avoider. I was the negotiator. In grade school and high school I spent a lot of time in the ER. I'd faint, then not remember why, and tell people what I thought happened. Other people involved in those activities had differences of the memories. So my parents and siblings labeled me a liar.

In nursing school it was found that there are three things that affected my memory, Hypoglycemia caused me to pass out Hypothyroidism, an inability to absorb Thiamin (vitamin B1), and Dyslexia affected how I remember things. So my brothers blame me for all the wrongs in the family. That is just fine. There were 7 sides to every truth ( Wally's, Dorothy's, Cindy's, Sandy's, Andy's, Ricky's and the actual truth). It is what it is, that will not be changed.

The past we own created the people we have become. We are wise or not, Sane or not, Healthy or not, Loving and caring or not, Faithful or not. That said we must choose the way we present ourselves and the examples we want our children to follow. I choose to live my life in faith, individualized to each family member.

I choose to live seeking education, learning something new every day. I choose to live blind to skin color to value each person for all they can teach me. I choose to find value in all things, as every object and creation has a lesson to teach.

My hope is the lessons offered by my example are humble and of value.