Family...

This weekend was filled with cleaning and visiting. My Aunt Dana and her partner Linda came for a visit to see where Robby and I live. It was nice to sit and talk to her as an adult and have adult conversations. When I was a kid I always thought of her as a mean strict woman that could sometimes intimidate me, and now, she's my favorite family member. The topic that we most talked about was my dad, (for those who know, dad number 3 of 4, the kids dad, and the dad that raised me for the majority of my life- also Dana's brother...) (I'll write a blog later about my four fathers...LOL) Back to the subject...

My dad wasn't the best dad in the world, and my aunt knew this. Along with doing drugs, my dad had and still has a huge drinking problem. He was a tyrant and loved to abuse all of us mentally, physically, and verbally. On a daily basis I was the babysitter, I was the laundry person, I was the maid. My dad was extra hard on me, and I never knew why. I would escape by going to friend's houses and imagining me in their family, seeing what was normal, and knowing that my life was far from it.

Some of the escapes were when Aunt Dana would come down and visit, or even take us for a week. I loved those vacations because my Aunt would let me be a kid. I never had to worry about watching kids, doing laundry, or cleaning toilets. She would take us to Knotts Berry Farm and even Magic Mountain. I loved these trips. She came down so much that I sometimes wanted to just go with her.

Little did I know that her and Linda made their surprise visits to check in on us and make sure that we were OK. They told me that they always felt bad for me because they knew I got the hardest treatment from him. I look back now and think, wow, that's why you came over at 4 in the morning to see us!

I am grateful to have both Linda and my Aunt Dana in my life. They mean so much to me, and helped make me happy in my childhood. I was glad to have them in my life and over on Saturday...