The 'rents

We are all shaped in some way by our parents.  Mine were something else.  It wasn't easy to be a child of Richard and Virginia.  There were so many expectations set for us.  I usually tried to rise to the occasion, but sometimes it was hard.  Honestly my basic personality is more like my dad; one who liked time to himself, a heart that felt so deeply for the inequalities of this world, and who believed that women could do and should be compensated in the same way a man would be for the same job.  He loved adventure and expressed that love through being a pilot, building a race car, building a boat, and keeping a wall-sized map in our basement plotted with all the places where he had flown.  He joked that he was the first "women's libber" because he so believed in the power of a woman.  It was probably a good thing because my mother WAS powerful.  She was smart, opinionated, organized (almost to a fault), and LOVED people and planning celebrations of any kind.  She was the mayor of our little town, the president of the school board, spearheaded a committee to find a doctor to practice in our little village, was a member of the PTA for 28 years (us kids were spread apart), among other things that included being active in our church, bookclub, and whatever else I have forgotten.  She loved to cook - and I'm pretty sure I was a big disappointment in that category.  I can work my way around a kitchen but it is far from my favorite activity.  Put me in front of a computer and let me try to figure out which direction steel prices are going to go in 2011 is more my style.

Education was a huge expectation in our house.  We needed to be good students.  Period.  That was hard too because one of my brothers was beyond smart.  It was up to my brother Dick and me to try to live up to that impossible standard.  Still I did fine and came to terms with the fact that few people would ever be as smart as my brother Allen.  I ended up with a bachelor's degree in finance and was accepted into an MBA program which, at the last minute, I declined.  I was still raising my own brood and thought it would take too much time away from my primary job of raising kids.  Who knew that someday I would wish I would have completed that program and would be running a tool business of my own.  I could use some of that information just about everyday.  So to my friend Carl and Jody's daughter, study your marketing.  It is hard stuff to actually implement.  My brother Allen was a natural - me...not so much.  More later on the business and where I have been and where I am going...

In the end I know my parents were proud of me and that was important.  I always knew my dad was.  Sometimes I wondered if my mom was proud of me because I saw her as someone who was able to do so much and do it well.  Toward the end of her life we had many good talks about how proud she was of me.  I am very glad I had the chance to know that.  She was proud of all of us, her chicks that she liked to keep covered under her wings.  If you are a parent now, be sure your kids know how proud you are and don't leave them guessing.  In my case I have a lot of young people (besides my own two) that I am so proud of (Carl, I'm watching you, Wesley, Michael, Sami, Dana, Lynn).  Your accomplishments are something to be very proud of.  Your curiosity is what makes the world go round.  Some of you are incredible parents and I can already envision the world with your children at the helm.  Ed and Shell fit in that category as well.  Jon is about to leave the nest and I am excited to see how he carries on the openess and acceptance of others that his parents are so fabulous at.

This is too long.  My parent's are part of where I have been and continue to shape the decisions and attitudes I have about the future.  Thanks mom and dad.