float_on_alright | Writing Challenge Day 23 (Reply)

(Dealer’s Choice)

A family member you dislike or your dream job

I don’t have a whole lot of family, not genetic family anyway. And half of what I do have, I don’t really know. I haven’t seen any of my mom’s half sister’s children (on her mother’s side) since I was about 16. I’ve seen my aunt a couple of times since then and I like her. Her and my mom had issues in the past, but they’re doing pretty good now. My mom’s half brother (on her mother’s side) died a few years ago and I haven't seen his kid since I was seven at my grandmother’s funeral (my mom’s mom). My mom’s dad died before I was born and while he went on to remarry and have kids, I haven’t seen any of them since I was in elementary school (my mom is still bitter about her dad essentially abandoning her when her folks got divorced the second time), but I don’t really have any hang ups about that because I never knew the man. My mom’s cousin Don (I call him Uncle Greg… long story) is amazing and his daughter is wonderful and she had my sister and I be her flower girls. I haven’t seen her or her boys in seven years, but her family is great.

At this point, all of my grandparents are dead. For a while, I struggled with my father’s dad, because they had such a tumultuous, difficult relationship, but now that he’s dead, I really can’t get worked up about that. And he did do some truly wonderful things for our family (like buy us our very first family computer when I was about seven or eight because dad said my sister’s teacher told him it would be good for our education). My uncles and aunts on my dad’s side are amazing. I get on great with all my cousins on that side.

As for my immediate family, there are some things they believe that I hate and some things they do that I dislike, but honestly I love them all and I don’t dislike them either.

Now if we’re talking “family,” like the people at my fellowship that I grew up with, there are a couple of people there who I struggle with. But to say I dislike them still feels like too strong a word. It’s more like, I wouldn’t choose to hang out with them outside of any fellowship functions I go to.