Time for a Flashback!

Those really aren't my teeth... but they were fun! I couldn't even close my mouth with those suckers! Sorry, I was having a "laugh at me" moment!

The second picture is a "we're so poor" picture. We were so poor growing up that we used a rat bottle as a baby bottle for our dolls (which is actually a baby Ricky doll from the 1950's that is my mother's). Poor baby Ricky had his arms and legs glued back on sooo many times. We (my siblings and I) just recently purchased one for my mom in mint condition and when we presented it to her, she just cried and hugged us. She has it in a doll case on her dresser and because we all played with her other Ricky, it not only brings back happy memories of her Dad who gave it to her, but also all of us "loving" it to "pieces".

The third pic is one "house" we lived in at one time. Isn't it a beauty? We were quite poor but all together. We actually took this picture from our window but ours looked exactly the same but with added bullet holes! You actually need to find humor in this. My husband still has no idea how we all survived but hey... we did so that's what is most important right? I didn't grow up with a fairy tale childhood but I have some great memories and always remember feeling loved and wanted. We were bussed up to a wealthier school across town on the mountain... we were the "inner-city kids". The principal told my father that we were messing up his numbers (meaning, because you are Caucasian, you are not giving me the racial mix I need for my school). My Dad told him, "Then you pay for us to move if those numbers are so important to you!" That school became a private school later because they didn't want "us" attending that school anymore. This little community was actually not as "frightening" as it may seem. We took care of each other and watched out for one another because of the crime each night. It taught me some serious street smarts but yet left me "vulnerable" in a way because I thought I was invincible (as most children sometimes do). Let's just thank a few thousand Guardian Angels for watching over me and my brothers and sisters.

This last picture is a picture of me at Christmas with my Christmas present. Yes, we usually only recieved one and usually they were donated from various churches, but oh how we treasured that one! Here I am, in all my nappy-headed glory with my favorite Bambi pajama shirt that actually shredded up to my chest before my mom had to cut Bambi out for me and throw away the shirt (I bawled). But look at that happy face! I loved getting only one gift. I was soooo excited to have something to open. I knew how much my parents struggled to feed and clothe us, not to mention the supply of duck tape for our holey shoes. And I strangely love freeze-dried apple chips because I ate freeze dried food storage for so many years. I confess to eating the baby food ones even now.

Now for my point in my madness tonight. Be Content! Be happy with what you have. Help out when you can; even a small smile. Keep hope and faith alive even when things get dark. Remember your worth! I am thankful for these experiences from the bottom of my heart. I can't imagine growing up a different way... I'd probably not be as appreciative if I didn't know what hunger, thrist, ache, loss, was and I was taught gratitude, humor, love, compassion, and so many numerous blessings. So when you think of people growing up with a meager existance, remember that laughter, love and hope can do wonders.... they may not be as "poor" as you think. I always knew that somewhere someone had less than me. This is a piece of my motivation to adopt. I could not imagine a child not having parents. That was all I had... my family. I love them so much and even with the struggles and trials, We Are Family. So when the struggles and trials of your journey to build a family get rough, Persevere!