Looking up my Past

 I Remember a Time when I was scared of a lot of things.  My mother was usually alone, with my father working or traveling.  She was afraid of mice, afraid of thunder and lightning, afraid of dogs and cats and being alone.  My brother was like my dad, he didn’t fear stuff, but I did.  When we were in Virginia, I was afraid of storms, and mice and other Things.  My brother get would catch a mouse and take it outside, but really, the three of us were nervous and fearful.  Especially in Virginia, where we were usually alone, and we lived outside of town.  Whether we should have been, who knows?  But we were in a world where lots of animals, lots, of storms, lots of people were not close enough to help or aid us. 

One time my brother had a mouse run over his chest, and that was when he was in High school.  Storms in Virginia knocked out the power, one time ruining the stereo system.  

I think my mother felt that her husband should have been around more, and that his trips made his absence a big drawback.

I wish I could say that my mother was brave, in fact I think she basically was, but she was not prepared for the life that she often lived.  Alone.  She was one of thirteen kids, in the middle to boot, so being alone was not her strong suit.  She had moved away from her support family and friends.  And it changed her life in a way she couldn’t quite compensate for.  I now realize how well she did, considering her path, and she had a passel of friends who supported her, but it wasn’t easy.  She was Brave, and stalwart in her life, a life not prepared for and yet she triumphed.  Good for her!

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