DAY 14: SOMEONE WHO HAS MADE YOUR LIFE WORTH LIVING
I could go with the obvious/easy answer to this question and go with my kids, but I already used them and I think I need to give some others credit for what they've done.
The people that have made my life worth living is Eric's family!
I seriously couldn't have asked for a better family to marry into. Eric's parents have been great to me from day one. They accepted me for who I was and looked past all the faults that I had. There was A LOT of conflict going on with my parents and me after they found out about the realtionship Eric and I had and life just wasn't easy. My parents told Eric and I a couple of times that we should just break up and call it quits.
Eric's parents never said anything in the negative and always tried to help us out in what they thought would be the best course of action for us. At one point Eric's parents offered to let me move in with them (Of course strict rules would be in place). It never got to that point, but knowing that that option was there meant A TON to me!
Eric's brothers are terrific men! His oldest brother, Ken, has been such an example to me. He is so very patient with life and stands up for what he needs to stand up for. Eric always talked highly of Ken and followed in Ken's footsteps quite a bit. They both ended up working with computers and are total geeks. But Eric remembers that Ken would ALWAYS let Eric bum around when Ken's friends were around. There is a 7 year age difference between them - but Ken never seemed to mind his kid brother hanging around.
I heard a story about Ken awhile ago about how growing up he had this 'friend' that wasn't so good to Ken in return. When Eric's mom questioned Ken about this kid and tried pointing out that this kid was just using Ken, Ken replied something to the effect of, "I know and it's okay, Mom." He is just that great of a guy. Doing so much for others even if they aren't always returning his sacrifices in the same way or to the same extent.
Ken has always been so great to me. Always polite and caring. When I was pregnant with Ailey, I was really struggling with it in many ways. One of the things I struggled with the most was telling Ken & his wife as they struggled YEARS to get pregnant 1 time. But we get pregnant whenever we want. Anyway, Ken's family came down for a visit and Ken very kindly asked me how I was feeling and doing. Knowing that he was hurting in his own way, but going out of his way to ask how I was doing meant a great deal - and he probably has no idea what it meant to me.
Eric's brother Greg is the older brother I never had (Yes, I have an older brother, but he's never been the stereotypical 'older brother'). Greg is great to joke around with and to have fun with.
Eric told me that Greg was also kind enough when he was little to let him chum around with him and his friends. Not as great as Ken, but he was good enough to do it at times as well. Eric has lots of fond memories doing things with Greg that maybe weren't quite so 'good', but they had fun doing it.
My kids adore Greg and always get excited when he is around. He's great with kids and the dice just haven't fallen well enough for him to have his own family yet. But he takes care of our kids and is always trying to do things for them and to keep them happy.
Greg has also shared some things with me that made me feel like I was actually a part of the family and accepted. He's shared truths that I would've never known to just look at him. But knowing that he's been able to share just a bit about his life means a lot. He also just accepted me from the start and was happy that his little brother found a person to build a life with.
Ken married Wendy. I'll be the first to say that Wendy and I are COMPLETE opposites! We've gone the rounds on a few occasions and we've had to just agree to disagree. That being said - Wendy is so very sweet.
She does so much for everyone around her and especially for her son! She remembers every kids' birthday and sends something for them. And that's not a small task when she has 3 siblings of her own and then 3 step-siblings, all with kids. That's a lot of people to keep track of!
We don't talk a lot because like I said, we are very opposite. She says exactly what she thinks and I tend to avoid confrontations. However, we've had some very nice conversations and she's been there for me on a couple of occasions when I didn't feel like I could talk to anyone else.
It's been nice having her around because she's taught me so much about acceptance, and about forgiving and forgetting things in the past. I marvel at all the things she seems to accomplish and how much of her time she spends giving to others!
So yes, Eric's family has really made my life worth living. They are such good people and they've always made me feel loved and accepted - even at times when I didn't feel accepted in my own home. So thank you Hardy Family!
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