Family Legacy

I think a lot more about family legacy, since losing my dad. I think of the generations before me and how soon they are forgotten. I didn't know my Linville side. His mom, Opal, died before I was born. His dad died when I was in middle school. I remember my mom taking me to his funeral but not much else.

I have heard stories of his family from my mom--how his father was an abusive alcoholic and how he had mistress's, said my mom with distaste. My dad didn't like to talk about his past and after one frustrating question and answer question, his wife at the time (Barbara) said, "Your father had a sad life and he doesn't like to remember it."

I know his mom was obese and diabetic and heart conditions. My mom says she ate her sadness and became bedridden with rampant diabetes. My father privately showed contempt towards overweight people. I don't know if this was due to the influence of his father shouting racial epitaphs across a street or due to his private frustrations with his mother, the person she had become.

I don't know if I could call them survivors. They certainly weren't victors in life, but they hung on. They married as pregnant teens and raised seven children. They existed through poverty and alcoholism and illness. Most likely they never traveled on an air plane or visited more than 2-3 states.The hand they were dealt (and their children) wasn't easy in life. I wish I knew more, but even if my dad were alive today, I don't think he would find the strength to tell me. He was an avoider of his painful past.

Just like my husband.