Re: Family Lineage/Strengh to deal w pain

[Guest guest]

Ellen,

I can relate, my Grandmother had thirteen children in a ONE bedroom, Four room

house. Kitchen, Bathroom Living room, and Bedroom. She had a medium sized yard

with a big pear tree at the side. Her kids slept in beds (cots) lined around the

bedroom. Grandkids and other family members slept under the tree at night and I

loved doing so.

My Grandmother sniffed /chewed snuff and I always stepped in her " spittoon "

(where she spit that Garretts snuff). It was brown and nasty. One Grandfather

rolled is own " Bull Durham " cigarettes and he and his wife were separated for

twenty years and he had a live in girlfriend. This grandmother was strict

" Christian " that everything you did was a sin, a dirty spoon was.

My grandmother who sniffed would take her kids and grandkids down to the small

church down the street and sing hymns, I loved this, and she was jolly. The cute

thing about her is her husband, my grandfather did concrete work thru the Work

Program, and they raised thirteen kids thru that time.

My grandmother thought my grandfather was messing around and told him that she

had divorced him. She said the Bible said to say that three times and you then

would be divorced and she wanted to be remarried before he could come home : )

There was a picture of a Cherokee Indian woman and man. I asked her who that was

and it was my great great Grandmother, thus my high cheeks and stubbornness

traits are verified.

My sweet grandmother prayed for her grandchildren (me) silently and I learned

this after she died. She loved us also. When I went to the cemetery to see my

family lineage, I felt so humbled as the eulogies ALL stated things like " He was

a Good Christian Man, or Woman " He was God fearing and lived his life right.

Those thoughts make me think I have something to live up to and what a lineage

you have. I wish I could have met your Grandmother.

My Mother was the oldest of thirteen children and said the saddest thing was

watching all her Sisters die before her, I was close to aunts and uncles. There

are only one brother and Sister left of thirteen. My Mother died in 2004 and my

back was really beginning to hurt me then and she needed care.

I told God, if you just hold me together until she is cared for, I will fall

apart then. I was able to drive six hours and care for her three days and drive

back, go to school at night for two night, and work. This was my teaching

internship and I needed it and after completing it my advisor stated that " You

have received " Beyond Exceptional " more than any student we ever had. I don't

know how you did it while caring for your Mother. That is how I do caring for my

Dad now but he doesn't need me ofter and six hours is far away in this heat but

I would make it if needed. It's in my blood. Bennie

[Guest guest]

Bennie,

I enjoyed this post more than you'll ever know. Your story caused me to

think about something - we may be in chronic pain and/or disabled, but we

have an inner strength that many never know about. Thank you taking the

time to contribute this.

I'm still new here, but already look forward to reading the posts. It helps

me feel not so alone in my situation.

(btw, One of my favorite hobbies, and one of the few I can still do since my

chronic pain started, is genealogy. I find family stories so interesting.

Many of our ancestors were very complex people, and I'm sure many dealt with

chronic physical pain)

Melani

>

> My sweet grandmother prayed for her grandchildren (me) silently and I

> learned this after she died. She loved us also. When I went to the cemetery

> to see my family lineage, I felt so humbled as the eulogies ALL stated

> things like " He was a Good Christian Man, or Woman " He was God fearing and

> lived his life right.

>

> Those thoughts make me think I have something to live up to and what a

> lineage you have. I wish I could have met your Grandmother.

[Guest guest]

iamgr8ful wrote:

> Bennie,

> I enjoyed this post more than you'll ever know. Your story caused me to

> think about something - we may be in chronic pain and/or disabled, but we

> have an inner strength that many never know about. Thank you taking the

> time to contribute this.

>

> I'm still new here, but already look forward to reading the posts. It helps

me feel not so alone in my situation.

Melani,

My Aunt, My Mothers Baby sister, had found as much as she could and put it on CD

for each of us to have.

My Good Grandfather(Moms'Dad) when he was 14 and he and his Father, Mother, and

two sisters were living in work tents around Stillmore Oklahoma around others.

My Grandfathers Father took my Grandfather to town to look for work and when

they came back hours later, the family there had been murdered.

My fourteen year old Grandfather and his Father were interrogated and accused of

the murder and held in jail. When they found witnesses to know better, the

charges were dropped. My Grandfather, at 14 parted ways, went to Texas, met and

married my Grandmother, and had thirteen children.

They were always happy, broke, but happy. My Grandfather was trained by the WPS

program of Presided Roosevelt as a brick layer and died at 57, my grandmother at

86. I was lucky to know her and play a marble game WAHOO (she would cheat also)

that she loved and helped paint and panel her small home.

I loved singing old gospels with her " I'll fly away Sweet Jesus, when I die,

Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away, I'll fly away " The Chuckwagon Gang,me and

Grandma.

I find family sayings and colloquialisms interesting and their start. We had an

OT on it but would love to hear more from new members.

Examples I have heard from my colorful Mother " When driving, and someone cut

her off, " Go ahead, hell's not half full " and others. Add your own.

I admire what you are doing and if you have a scanner, MAC has a program where

you insert pictures and decorate with their program and buy the album, I am

doing a military album for my Dad.

Bennie