A solid foundation.

There were times growing up that I didn't always appreciate being in a large family, especially in a small town. Not only was I related to probably half the town, but the other half were friends with some member of my family. So privacy was not a luxury, and getting away with ANYTHING didn't happen.

But I've learned as life goes on, as I raise my own family and as I experience the dysfunctional relationships in my husband's family, what a truly remarkable childhood it was.  

I'm not saying that all my family members were perfect, or all my husband's were bad. Indeed, all of us are flawed human beings. But what seems different is how, given similar experiences and community environments, how members of the two families responded to  their challenges. And how those reactions shaped each family.

Who you spend your formative years with can have a huge impact on who you become and how you approach life. These family influences definitely mold your character.  For me, it was my father's side of the family. 

I owe who I am to the ten children of my grandparents, Dave and Phoebe. Each of them brought a different element to the family dynamics, and each taught me something about handling life's challenges and opportunities. 

I would like to share each one of them with you this year. My creative challenge will be to find one word to describe each of them, and their impact on my life. I say "challenge" because I already know that one word won't be enough to explain their influence.

I am thankful to Dave, Bess, Mary, Jim, Bill, Larry, Gary, Bob, Mike and Jayne for teaching me the important lessons of life. Their legacy will live on through my children and,  hopefully, their children.