Reckon I Done Okay After All

Then...

And now...

They were all three raised in this home that I still miss every day...

It was our modest but wonderful home for over twenty years. We still own it but are renting it to my nephew and his wife. I hope they enjoy it as much as we did, and think they will. They have taken care of and fixed it up, adding their own touches. Now that it is paid off, we should be able to fix it up a bit more for them.

I was never the perfect mother, still am not, but I gave it a pretty good shot. By the way all three of my kids have turned out, reckon I done okay after all.

They were never perfect children either but have given me much more joy than grief and a lifetime of memories...mostly wonderful and a few, maybe not  so wonderful but that's what life is all about.

You live and you learn.

It seems crazy that they are now thirty one, twenty five and twenty two.

Sounds more like my current body measurements!

My three children are by far my greatest accomplishment in life. They all had a great beginning in their young lives and were pretty well spoiled by most standards. Trips to Disney every February and a week at the beach every summer. They got pretty much everything they ever asked for, within reason and in return were actually pretty good kids.

When the financial bottom fell out for us, it fell out fast and hard. In hindsight, it couldn't have happened at a better time in their lives. They were all old enough to realize what was going on and how desperate our situation was.

They also witnessed how many people... family members, friends, and even strangers came to our rescue. They helped pay our bills, they bought us food, they even bought us Christmas trees, Thanksgiving dinners and even Christmas presents for them.

I think those lean years are what made all three of my children realize how important it is to be a good person. While we sailed along for years and years, doing better each and every year, we also paid it forward again and again.

I can't  even count how many families, co workers or even strangers we reached out to help. We bought Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas for kids we sometimes didn't even know. 

Funny story...I had a co worker, years ago who was a complete wreck, living in a motel that looked like a crack house but finally scrounged up enough money to rent an apartment. She didn't have anything but her clothes. I packed up a huge box of pans, utensils, bowls, plates, sheets and towels and even threw in two twin size mattresses I had in the garage that she could stack on top of each other for a bed. I borrowed a truck, picked her up at the 'Motel Sex' and took everything to her new apartment, including her.

Of course she had rented a third floor apartment.

Everything went okay until it was time for the mattresses to go up. I remember going up that flight of steps, me in front when she said to me "You're a strong little cuss, I don't even have my end picked up."

Totally a 'bitch, please' moment.

So here we are now, almost a decade later. We made it, we survived and moving ahead once again. Living thirty minutes from the beach and loving it.

Our kids are loving life too.

TJ has rocked life after moving from Atlanta to Orlando to Charlotte and is an excellent provider for his new family.

Zach stayed in Georgia, which broke my heart, but doing what he's always wanted to do...learn to be a chef. He's the sous chef in a new restaurant and working like crazy. We talk at least once a week but I miss him every day.

And then there's my girl. She came into this world, almost killing us both but is my beacon of light.

I love all my kids, but my boys aren't all about the huggy feely stuff...like I am. 

Massey's not so huggy feely either but knows how to kick me into gear when I need it.

She is going to be a college graduate in a few short weeks, finishing her degree on line from Georgia.

We couldn't be prouder. 

Us Clampetts are going back to Georgia so she can walk with her class. We'll have a hoe down at my sisters' house after graduation. 

Here's the thing about life. You don't  just raise kids to survive, you raise them to succeed.

My kids are going to do just that!

It don't come easy, never does. But like they said ...

Kinda feel like our financial temporary set back only encouraged and inspired our own three kids to make their mark in this world fast and furious. 

And they have.

It don't come easy, but that is what makes life great. You get what you give.

Every time.