Family Feud part 1

Family Problems: Have you ever heard of the term, ‘family feuds’? It makes me think of those southern families down south who’re constantly at war with each other. Well, I suppose on some level, it happened to my family as well. You see, before I was born, my father had been previously married and had two of his own kids, Heath and Katie. Well, they had lived in Florida most of their lives, however their mother, (my father’s ex) constantly harassed us saying that she was going to have my father thrown in prison and that we’d never see him again. Well, it got to the point that we couldn’t take it anymore so we left Florida. We traveled in our camper for a little bit. We went from state to state. Finally, we ended up in Louisiana, we were there for about a month or so before we left again. At the point we ended up in Mississippi. So, for the longest time, it was my mother, her son Tim, my dad, and then me. Well, Heath would come visit us sometimes, however he was mostly in Florida, growing up on the wrong side of the track. Finally, some stuff went down in Mississippi which took me years of hiding and going through depression while I were younger than 10 years old before I managed to finally tell someone which was my brother Tim. When I had finally told someone, all hell had broken loose and he told my parents which in turn had turned against my brother. Who told my sister who took his side and called me a liar seeking attention. Well, somehow, my overgrown cow of a cousin got involved and started bad mouthing me to my dad’s side of the family. Anyways, in the end we had two sides of that family. Those on my brother’s side and those who were on my side. In the end, Heath & Katie wanted to get ahold of me on myspace. Well, they did. Then, because my dad had guilt for not being a better father, even though the telephone and visiting thing works both ways, decided for spring break last year, to go down to Florida and visit them. Let’s just say that 10 years or more later, they didn’t really look all that different from when I had remembered them. Ever heard the expression, “forgive & forget”? Well, that’s what I tried to do. I did it so my family could be together again. The depression still looms over my subconscious, however, at least I can say my father is a little happier than he had been. Our relationship still isn’t perfect with each other, but we are trying, pieces at a time.

Me vs Tim

Awards and recognition: An award that I can think of that would come to my mind which happened this past summer was that I was given the opportunity to go to Nashville, Tennessee to represent the state of Michigan for the club I’m in called FCCLA. It was one of the most shocking times of my life because up until that point, I was a bit of an under achiever with things such as that. I could remember my mother was finally proud of me as well as my father. I’ve always been a bit on the shy side so I’d never wanted to participate in activities that would require me to go out of my safe-zone. Well, I finally did and in doing so, I finally achieved something. My brother, Tim, was always the popular one. He was in band, he played on the football team, and he was nearly a straight a student. He was one of the best guys that Mississippi had to offer. He had so many awards and trophies that I knew I’d never be able to amount to anything he had done. So, I never tried. Well, when I was able to go to Tennessee, I actually tried to make something of myself and I did! I made second in the nation. It may only be one insignificant factor in my life, but to me it means the world. Because it means that I’m not just a loser like I had always thought myself to be who would never amount to anything her brother was.

Week 8

Intense times/struggles: I suppose all families have problems within their own lives. Whether it’s divorce, separation, fights…etc. The list is endless. Within my own family, I can say I’ve had a relatively easy life. My parents are still together after around 20 years together. I do have 3 half siblings however I treat them as though they’re my full. The only thing I can notice within my family that tends to have a shaky time is that my father has multiple sclerosis. He’s had it for a few years now ever since we moved from Mississippi to Michigan. I’m not quite sure when it started but I know it’s been more than 6 years. My mother tries to help with the best of her abilities but after she had to quit work from hurting her back, she has a hard time with helping him. Which then it relies on me to help him off the floor and to lift heavy objects so my mother doesn’t have to hurt herself. We all have a great relationship with each other though. We really don’t keep secrets. My father might be getting put on a morphine drip so he doesn’t have to deal with pain that often and we’re looking into medicinal marijuana which might be happening. We try our best to remain acting like a real family. Even though my father can be antisocial at times because he’s lost in his own mind of the past and even though my mother is too happy wanting to make sure we’re all okay and even though I tend to shut myself out from them to deal with things. We all know in the end we can rely on each other within the hard times.

Week 7

Unsolved Crimes: Ever since I was a little girl, my father has always watched unsolved mysteries and crime shows. Watching those have always brought up a strong sense of justice in me. It tends to make you wonder whether or not you will someday turn into something like that. What makes a good person, turn bad? Where is that final straw that snaps you into a monster that you can’t even bare to look at yourself in the morning. No one is born into the world wanting to murder someone or make someone’s life miserable. We all have a strong sense of innocence and right within the world. So why does that change within us? Another problem with these crimes though, is that no one really helps much try and solve these things. There are eyewitnesses who are too afraid to speak up for what’s right. So these crimes remain unsolved and no one is put to rest finally. I believe these unsolved crimes deserved to be solved and that the person responsible should be put to justice. People can get out of prison after just two years for murdering a baby (such is a case in England.) Why do we allow these horrible people to walk the streets? Are we just waiting for them to strike again and have another innocent life lost? People need to take a stand for what they believe in. Rather than sitting by and letting something happen, they need to retaliate, they need to show them that it’s wrong and that they’re not going to take it anymore. But still not everyone helps and those crimes remained unsolved, the families and friends of the victims never truly are able to rest. All because someone, somehow turns bad and thinks it’s fun to hurt others. So much for peace.

Week 5

Characters in my family: Family is made up of whom you allow into your hearts that help make you into the person you are today. Technically, they’re supposed to be blood or marriage related, however, I believe you can have family that aren’t truly related. Those are the people that are there for you no matter what. They’re the ones who I believe are truly your family. Not the ones who you are legally related to, because some of those people have nothing to do with your life. They aren’t the ones that help you through a tough time, and they aren’t the ones who help you through life. The characters in my family are a bit smaller than others’ families but they do make a big impact. There’s my mother who’s the nurturer of the family. She’s the one who will defend you when you’re hurt, she’s the one who will try to bring a smile back on your face, and she’s the one who makes you feel like you’re wanted. My father is the one who gives you advice. He listens to whatever problem you’re having and tries to relate it to his life so you can hear the differences but also you can relate them together. He also expects you to find a solution to the problem. Whether you follow through with that though, is your problem. He won’t force you to do something, but he does expect you to try and make the best of a situation so you’re not constantly down and depressed or angry. Lastly, there’s my brother. Even though he’s all the way in Maryland with his wife and working for the Navy, he tries to make sure he’s apart of our life. Whether it’s a phone call about what I’m going to do with my life, or if there’s anything he can do to help, he makes sure to try and bring out the positive in situations or in the future what I can do to make things better. Some things to look forward to.