My dear friend Ona and her children

Interesting how the mind works. We often blame someone or something else when things don't goes as we planned for them to or as we think they should. But life is about choices. Sure there are plenty of things that happen that we have no control over at all. But a lot happens that we do have control over and do nothing about it. Sometimes, we even make it worse.

I'm off on this tan gin because I sad, mad and very disappointed with my friend's family members. My friend of 31 years died on Tuesday. She was the greatest lady. She lived and breathed her children, sometimes giving away what she didn't have to please them. In return, her children used her without mercy, net even thinking twice. They fought over things she had or conned her out of them, even when she needed to keep it for herself. Some even stole from her.

I was talking to her daughter last night. She was going on and on about her mom and how much see did for her. She didn't know I knew "The Rest of the Story." This daughter caused her mother great grief, even a nervous break down. She worked in a bank. Her mother trusted her to invest her money wisely. The daughter over a period of three years stole 75,000 dollars from her mother.

Her mother didn't press charges, voicing she must have needed it for her children. But the daughter did pay. Because it was a bank, they pressed charges. The daughter was arrest and served 18 months. She didn't learn anything. She continues to be verbally abusive and would take things without asking, justifying she deserved them. Amazing.

You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll

find you've collected a lot of empty yesterdays.

- Professor Harold Hill (The Music Man)

When she was sick and still living at home, her children wouldn't even take her to the doctor, or offer to go to the grocery, or even offer to pick up her medication. Their idea of taking care of mom was putting her in a nursing home.

Her middle son stepped in and tried to do what was right by mom. The youngest son fought with this son until he moved out. The youngest son over dosed on drugs three to four weeks after placing mom in a nursing home. Luckily the middle son stepped back in and stayed true to mom. Of course the other siblings had nothing good to say about their brother. You go Donny!

The daughter visited mom five times while she was in the nursing home. All of which were in the last two weeks of her life. The older son visited 6-7 times, same scenario. Not a very good showing for all she did for them.

My friend can't speak for herself anymore, nor would she, but I have a hard time feeling sorry for her children when they chose to make choices that didn't include a healthy relationship with their mom when she was putting forth such a strong effort, even when she was sick.

I was so blessed to have her as my friend for 31 years. I hold great comfort in knowing she isn't suffering anymore.

A poem worth remembering:

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.. Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind. Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack if you help them. Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth. ................Give the world the best you've got anyway. - Anonymous

God Bless