Tough times

[wnylib]

34. It might be hard for you to see this now,

but when you have your own family, you will carry the memory of your parents into your own family life. In doing that, you will carry them forward into the future. That will be true whether you have biological children of your own, or adopted children. Even if you have no children, your values and habits from your home life are a part of you that will interact with people you know, carrying forward your parents' legacy.

My mother's mother died giving birth to her. Her 6 older siblings went to an orphanage because her father's job required frequent travel. As a preemie who barely survived her own birth, my mother was raised by an aunt and stayed with her even after her father remarried and brought his other children home.

My other grandmother died suddenly when I was just 18 months old, so I grew up with no grandmothers. But I had photos of them and numerous family stories so that I felt like I had personally known them. Both grandfathers claimed that they saw traits in me that reminded them of my grandmothers. Other relatives agreed.