Cheaper by the Baker's Dozen
Today I am grateful for a good training run with my husband yesterday . . . three hours' worth. I am also grateful for the community I live in and the diversity of services and opportunities it provides.
Back to that large family I grew up in; thirteen of us, nineteen years apart, That means by the time the youngest was born, the oldest was already off in the Army. But I do recall times when all fifteen of us sat at the same table for a meal. In my teen years, my friends sometimes referred to us as the Waltons because we had benches on either side of our long kitchen table. That meant 6 kids on each bench, baby brother in the high chair, and Mom and Dad on each end. And food, plenty of food. We had "assigned" places too. My Mom was always cooking and cleaning and my Dad spent dawn to dusk most days working. And we were often helping.
Such an upbringing helped instill in all of us the importance of working hard, and we all carried that strong work ethic into adulthood. But that can have its drawbacks. I struggled with working too much years ago (I called it workaholism because I was filling the hole I used to fill with alcohol with work instead) and I am not the only one in my family who has done this. I still don't leave dirty dishes in the sink for long and tend to do a load of laundry as soon as the basket gets full. That's not bad in and of itself, but I sometimes try to do too much in a day, or try to complete my "to-do" list before I get to my "want-to-do" list. Then I get frustrated. That is one of my challenges . . . balance. I'll save that for a different post.
I truly believe my parents did the best they could when we were growing up, but let's face it, it's hard to give thirteen kids all the individual attention they need. I have learned to keep it all in perspective and I respect my parents and my siblings. No one has been barred from family gatherings and there are no long-standing feuds. Not all families our size, or any size, can say that.
This large family upbringing has shaped me in so many ways, and I understand that more each year as I "grow up." Today, I am grateful for my family of origin.
Back to that large family I grew up in; thirteen of us, nineteen years apart, That means by the time the youngest was born, the oldest was already off in the Army. But I do recall times when all fifteen of us sat at the same table for a meal. In my teen years, my friends sometimes referred to us as the Waltons because we had benches on either side of our long kitchen table. That meant 6 kids on each bench, baby brother in the high chair, and Mom and Dad on each end. And food, plenty of food. We had "assigned" places too. My Mom was always cooking and cleaning and my Dad spent dawn to dusk most days working. And we were often helping.
Such an upbringing helped instill in all of us the importance of working hard, and we all carried that strong work ethic into adulthood. But that can have its drawbacks. I struggled with working too much years ago (I called it workaholism because I was filling the hole I used to fill with alcohol with work instead) and I am not the only one in my family who has done this. I still don't leave dirty dishes in the sink for long and tend to do a load of laundry as soon as the basket gets full. That's not bad in and of itself, but I sometimes try to do too much in a day, or try to complete my "to-do" list before I get to my "want-to-do" list. Then I get frustrated. That is one of my challenges . . . balance. I'll save that for a different post.
I truly believe my parents did the best they could when we were growing up, but let's face it, it's hard to give thirteen kids all the individual attention they need. I have learned to keep it all in perspective and I respect my parents and my siblings. No one has been barred from family gatherings and there are no long-standing feuds. Not all families our size, or any size, can say that.
This large family upbringing has shaped me in so many ways, and I understand that more each year as I "grow up." Today, I am grateful for my family of origin.
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