The Folks

Our folks are good Christian people and raised us to be good Christian people.  I call them Mother and Daddy or Mom and Dad, depends on what is going on.  My dad is retired from the federal government.  Mom was a stay at home mom until after I married.  She worked for a pharmacy and then a local pediatrician's office and quit when Dad retired.  They are busier now than when they worked!  Mom sits my grandson once a week and makes my brother's piano tuning appointments.  Dad takes care of his mother's finances (she is 96!) and my sibs tax returns.  Dad still plays softball.  I have lost track of how many teams he is on currently.  He plays in a seniors league.

They are active members of their Sunday School class.  They stay pretty busy.  They host 2 birthday get togethers each year and Thanksgiving every other year.  Our tradition for Christmas is to gather at their home on Christmas Eve. 

What else?  My dad has 2 brothers and 1 sister all younger.  His sister has 3 kids, all married with kids of their own.  One brother has 2 girls with kids and a grandkid.  His youngest brother has 2 boys, one about to get married in May.  His dad, my granddaddy passed away in April, 2001.   Mother has five siblings.  Two of her brothers have passed away, one nephew, and brother-in-law have also passed away.  She has a sister with 4 kids and tons of grandkids and great grandkids.  She has two brothers left and they each have one kid, neither are married.  My mother's parents passed away in 1977 and 1988, her dad, my granddaddy first, and then her mother, my nana.  Her brothers that have passed have 3 daughters between them. 

So, there is a lot of family! Our folks love the family stuff, getting together and visitin'.  I enjoy it too.

We, my family, use to live around the corner from our folks.  We moved less than a year ago to a neighboring city.  We were there for more than 19 years.  Sometimes I miss the ease of going through the gate in the backyard to their back door.  Especially when I need to "borrow a cup of sugar"!  I think Mom misses it too.  But I love our new home and visits are special.

Maybe I will get to my kids tomorrow...