I am a native North Carolinian, 51 years upon this earth thus far, arriving in August of 1956. I have a lovely 26 year old daughter whom I almost lost to spinal meningitis when she was only 2 1/2 months old. Thankfully, she survived with no evident after-effects. She thinks her mom is crazy, but loves her just the same. *smile*
I am proud of my hillbilly heritage and country frame of mind. It helps me to see and appreciate the simple beauty to be found all around, wherever one is willing to look. "I was raised on country sunshine, I'm happy with the simple things." I love these mountains, though winters can seem to drag on forever. Spring, of course, is that much more welcome when it does arrive.
I am #8 in a line of 9 children. (I would have thought that my mom and dad would have stopped with me after finally "getting it right"; maybe my younger brother was a celebration...LOL) We are a close family, approx. 40 strong now, including in-laws, out-laws, and offspring.
A couple of members are gone now and most certainly bear mentioning. I lost my father to cancer in 1988. He was a mechanic, working more for pennies than dollars, but one of the best in the area. He was a very intelligent and talented man, able to do about whatever he set his mind to. He built part of the house my brother still lives in, made furniture, read avidly, fixed whatever was broken, made peanut butter and brown sugar candy every Christmas, played about whatever musical instrument he picked up, stopped his work to check our bikes *smile*...well, you can see that I thought he was pretty neat. Though a bit of a hell-raiser in his youth, (yes, he even did that 'hillbilly thang' of 'runnin' shine'..*grin) he reformed quite drastically and was a deacon in our church when he died. I miss him terribly yet today.
My brother-in-law, as dear as a brother, was taken by a heart attack in 1994. He had survived a couple of heart surgeries already and a transplant was his only real hope. That, however, was not to be. He will always be missed.
My mother passed away in July of 2002. The loss is too new to say a lot. I fully believe she's much better off than any of us still left here, but it's going to be an adjustment and I miss her incredibly. Some things just leave a hole in your heart, but still: God is good...:)
Those parents I just mentioned taught me lots about how one should live one's life. Simple values that many today seem to lack: honesty, fairness, respect for yourself and for others - things I try to live by. (The craziness, I suppose, I must take responsibility for..LOL) Oh, and that's another one - take responsibility for your actions.
My Christian faith is also important to me. I'm not one to preach to others. I figure if they wanna know, they'll ask. And yes, you'll see me make mistakes, maybe say things I shouldn't, etc. That list could go on forever. I know I'll never be perfect and so does God. Therein lies the beauty: He knows that and loves me anyway. With that love, though, comes lessons, of course. We suffer the consequences of those errant words and actions as He tries to teach us, 'That wasn't the best way; try again.' And I'm still learning and trying. I see each new day I'm granted as a permission slip from God to 'try again.'
Hmmm...let's see...that's probably more than you ever WANTED to know..LOL I am listing my 'favorite' this and that below, for that might tell you more than all the gibberish. I leave you with my 'motto'; one that's never failed me yet and works in almost any time, place, or situation:
"PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!"..LOL
FAVORITES
AUTHORS: Dean Koontz, Stephen KingPASSTIMES: Reading, Hiking, Camping,
Writing, Painting
SEASONS: Spring and Summer
COLOR: Red
FOODS: Pizza, CHOCOLATE, Steak & Potatoes type stuff,
Almost anything without green pepper or too much onion..*grin
PLACE: Beach
BREED OF DOG: German Shepherd
MOVIES: Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, Dirty Dancing,
Silence of the Lambs, Three Fugitives,
Princess Bride, Titanic, The Gods Must Be Crazy
ACTORS: Mel Gibson, Clint Eastwood, Nicolas Cage, Tom Hanks
ACTRESSES: Jodie Foster, Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Whoopie Goldberg
SINGERS: Alabama, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Bread
NASCAR DRIVERS: Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte
Graphics on this page designed by ME!...*LOL