As I’ve gotten older I sometimes have a hard time getting to sleep. Sometimes my mind is racing and swimming with thoughts and occasionally problems that don’t exist. I’ve tried different things. I’ve gotten up and had a glass of milk, that sometimes helps. An occasional glass of wine helps as well. I’ve logged onto the computer until I can’t hold my eyes open anymore only to return to bed and be wide awake again. I’ve counted as far as I can, sometimes by 3’s or 5’s. I’ve tried meditating and relaxing parts of my body starting at my toes and working up. I’ve taken Advil PM and woke up hung over the next morning.
But what I’ve done lately is my family tree in my head. My grandmother was an only child, she married my grandfather at a fairly young age and he was 12 years older than her. They had 13 children. While my grandparents and some of my aunts and uncles have passed on, we are still a fairly large group of people who still interact with each other.
Their first child was George. He was married to Pat and they had 4 daughters. They were Pam, Marcia, Patti, and Karen. Pam has 2 children and 4 grandchildren. Marcia has 4 children and 6 grandchildren. Patti has one child and one grandchild. Karen has 5 children and 2 grandchildren.
Their second child was Charles. He was married to Mary Evelyn and they had two children. They were Charlene and Charles (brother as we called him). I don’t know how many grandchildren they have because I’ve lost touch. But I would think they have 2.
Their third child was James (or Jim). He was married to Elizabeth and they had 4 children. They were Sheila, Marleen, Sharon, and Paula. I had also lost touch with this family, but recently reconnected with Paula on Facebook and hope to correct this lapse soon.
Their fourth child is Betty (my mother). She was married to Kennith and they had 2 children. They were me and my sister Trisha. Trisha has 4 children and I have 1 child.
The fifth child is Agnes. She is married to Jimmy. They have 3 children. Jamie, Tim, and Connie. Jamie has one daughter and Connie has one son.
The sixth child was Margie. She was married to Clyde and they had 2 children. They are Eric and Chris. Eric has 4 children and Chris has 1.
The seventh child is Emily. She was married to Tommy and they had 2 children. They are Adam and Anita. Adam has 3 children and Anita has 2.
The eighth child is Anne. She had 2 children, Shawn and Ashton (Dondi). Shawn was killed in a motorcycle accident and had 1 child. Ashton also has 1 child.
The ninth child is Lynnette. She is married to Benny and they have 4 children. Kim, Stacy, Jennifer, and Clinton. Kim has 2 children, Stacy has 1, and Clinton has 3.
The tenth child was Joseph (Joe). He has 2 daughters, Sandra and Sarah.
The eleventh child was John Fred (Fred). He has 3 children. They are John, Sharon, and Phillip. Sharon has 3 children (I think).
The twelfth child is Barbara. She is married to Gary and they have 2 children. They are Greg and Angie.
The thirteenth child was Darla. She was married to Ernest and they had no children.
Sometimes I also try to add in the great-grandchildren of these aunts and uncles………….Hey Wake Up!! I’m talking to you.
Holy Baloney! I check this twice before posting and then realized I missed someone. Fixed it though. Hope no one noticed!
Wonder how many times I have written this on paper afraid we will one day forget each other. Family is important but as time goes by you learn who in your life is really important and everyone else fades into the background. Even though I don’t get to see my extended family often I think of the good times and hold the memories dear to my heart.