For those of you who read my Facebook post, thank you for letting me ramble on about this subject...
I was raised with two older sisters, one 8 years older (Sherry), and one 4 years older (Patricia, now deceased). For a time, I was "Sherry's Birthday Present," because I was born the day after her 8th birthday. Dad was in the Navy, a submarine qualified Torpedoman, who was gone a lot during my first 9 years. From July of 1951 to June of 1958, my family seemed to be constantly on the move. When I was 6mos old, my mom bundled the three of us into a car, and drove us to Steubenville, OH from Bremerton, WA. A year later, we were bundled back into the car, and driven to San Diego (by way of Chicago), to join my dad. A year after that, we were bundled up, and put on a US Navy Sea Plane, and flown to Oahu. Two and-a-half years later, she packed us up, and put us on a Troop ship headed back to San Diego. Does it seem to be excessive, 4 times? Wait, we're only up to 1956...
Between 1956 and 1958, we would move 4 more times... San Diego to Hunter's Point, Hunter's Point to Mare Island, Mare Island to Ladera Drive in Vallejo, I graduate from kindergarten, we move from Ladera Drive to Bergwall Way, still in Vallejo (3 different schools for kindergarten, and two different schools in first grade). Until the move to Ladera Drive, Mom was the one who had to take care of getting the house packed, deal with the movers, and drag three kids off to the next destination.
Dad always seemed to be out to sea, or somehow otherwise disposed.
It dawned on me that my mom was one strong lady, and you didn't want to try testing her. Sure, for most of her life, she weighed 120, and was only 5'4", but you didn't want to anger her, because she'd give you a whole chunk, rather than a piece of her mind.
My sisters? I'm not sure, relations have been strained of late with Sherry, and Pat passed away in 2013. Sherry is caring for a husband with MS, so there's strength there. But my sisters taught me more about being a man than any male influence in my life (of which there were but few). The best part of being taught by older sisters was learning how young ladies liked to be treated (open doors, help with seating, the real basic stuff), but they never knew the most invaluable lessons they taught me weren't on purpose. Being a smart kid, I observed a lot, and thought about what was going on. I'd watch my parents when a guy would come to pick up one of my sisters. If the guy sat out in the car, waiting, the chances of a second date dropped considerably in they eyes of my parents. If my parents told my sisters to be in at 10pm, Dad wouldn't get worried until 10:15, but after that, I watched them age a little with every tick of the clock. I decided that when I started dating, I'd be sure to have a girl home on time. The girls weren't real thrilled, but their parents liked me (all except Mary's mom).
At Christmastime in 1972, I was weak, drugged up, most often drunk, and suicidal. I got sent home on some "basket leave," and got re-acquainted with Mary, and my life took this wild swing towards good. We had dated in high school, and broke up in 1969, over another girl. For the next 3 years, I didn't really have time for a relationship with a girl, after I joined the Navy in March of '71, I shopped around, even landed a date with the best looking female in my A-School class. By Christmas of '72, I hadn't been home for the previous Christmas, and was looking at spending another one away from the people I knew best, and worst of all, alone.
I've gone over this all before, but Mary is proof that God is alive, and that he answers our most fervent prayers. She came back into my life, stood firm on her intent to live according to LDS guidelines, and her intent to be sealed in the Temple. In the 43 years that we've been married, I've had to draw on that strength many times.
I've had three daughters, Tyffany, Amy, and Jacklyn, Tyffany and Jacki are, to be discreet, "over 21," and Amy only survived for a few hours, being born very prematurely. My daughters are good, strong women, and deal with their own issues, but they do it with a strength and grace that fills me with great pride.
I have been fortunate to have lived my life among amazing and strong female influences. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for making it so.
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