Linda J. Alexander http://www.lindajalexander.net
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Debra:
"Funny" is a, well, a relative term . . . pun intended. I have "grandma" stories that would stand some folks hair on end. Yet for me, knowing who she was & accepting her in the context of the life she lived, they're almost nostalgic. We don't always approve of certain behaviors &/or appreciate them, but we still have a connection to that family member. I'll guess you might have similar feelings toward your mother?
Or my stepfather. He was a real "character," & that's being kind. He wouldn't have been my choice if I could've made the pick--but I was a kid. I couldn't. So I learned to live w/it, often as unsettling & upsetting as that was.
He & my mother lived to aggravate each other, at best, & drive each other mad, at worst. One day they were at it again. She forever picked at him, he at her. He got back at her, though, by intentionally, methodically doing the very things she despised.
He came downstairs one weekend morning when we were going out. He was dressed & ready. My mother was on her way to the garage when she saw him.
"You're NOT going out like THAT!"
He looked at her as if it were a fine spring day & everything was hunky-dory. He even managed to appear confused at her statement. "Oh? Why not?"
He was dressed in pattern shorts, some sort of hideous mis-matched shirt, black socks & brown tie-up dress shoes. Clearly, he would be laughed out of any public establishment w/his choice of clothing. We did NOT go on our outing. The day did NOT get better.
But today, all these years later, I can laugh at it. I had a "funny family," in all its glory. In fact, the very definition of "functional family" is a laugh to me. Ain't no such thing.
I sense a true affinity w/you, Debra.
Blessings & laughter -- Linda
www.lindajalexander.net ** www.authorsden.com/lindajalexander
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