Happy Memorial Day....

...It's been a good weekend, despite the mental exhaustion that looms so heavily among my family. There are so many conflicting emotions that come with a visit to my hometown. The exhiliration of seeing my baby brother graduate from high school. The nostalgia of seeing my old high school teachers. The exhaustion of not sleeping well. The sadness that comes with seeing my father's inability to bounce back from the failure of his business. The anger at my brother for not taking care of his family. The pride of seeing my middle brother taking care of himself and getting his life on track. The hilarity of seeing my baby brother hug, not shake hands with, those who gave him his diploma. The frustration at my biological mother for cornering my nine year-old and talking him into staying with her sometime this summer. The anxiety on the aforementioned mother's insistence that I stay with her. The tenderness that I feel toward my stepmother, the woman who raised me. The gratefulness I have toward my (step)grandparents, in whose driveway we parked our camper and with whom we shared breakfast every morning.

...I'm home now, and this is the place where I feel most at peace. My little family. Away from the madness that is my ancestry. In our little house that will soon be all ours, with no daycare kids to share it.