Family

As I get older I begin to look at my life and the wonderful family that is my life. My dad had limited education due to his parents passing when he was only a young boy. He did the best he could, he got a job with the  US Postal Service, and with that he was able to live his dream of owning a small but rewarding farm. We had horses, chickens, a couple of pigs, and a cow. Dad never sat still, he was always pulling weeds, cleaning up after the animals, fixing fences, hauling hay, whatever needed to be done around the house. His domain was the farm. My mom grew up in a religious family, although she never herself was a very religious person. She attended some college and worked outside the home as a "bookkeeper". Mom was always the "peace keeper" in the family. Whenever trouble brewed she found a way to turn down the heat. Both my parents loved children. First there was Richard (Dick as I called him), followed by Robert Jr (Bob), then Tim (the animal lover). At this point no girl. So mom and dad said lets try one more time. They got more than they asked for. My twin-Tammi- was the girl they always wanted. I was the extra boy that came with the package. Mom and dad have both passed, as well as Dick, and Tim.
In my early 20's I met and feel in love with Rose. Rose was the first woman I met that already had done so much at her early age. She was a homeowner, going to college, traveled to Peru, read more books than I ever dreamed of. And she did it all on her own. No family help for college, no help to purchase her home or her trip to Peru. She was driven to improve not only herself but the people she cared about. This drive was new to me, excited me and I knew I wanted to be around her more.
Our first born is Nathan. He grew up being the kindest little boy around. Shy and intraverted. We enrolled him in Tae Kwon Do and he began to flourish. He went on to earn his internationally recognised black belt. He is active in Peace Jam (they won awards and participated in many international enviromental and peace orgainizations). Nathan is now studing to be an Aerospace Engineer.
Second is Autumn. a beautiful overly shy little girl growing up. To Autumn her friends were the world to her. She flourished in High School Color Guard, hours and hours of practice. Autumn is now studying  very hard so she can enter nursing school. She has always dreamed of working for Doctors without Borders.
As Nathan and Autumn were getting ready to leave the nest, Rose and I decided we were not ready or old enough (LOL) to be empty nesters. So off to China we went and brought home our third child: a beautiful girl  
Ji Mio Man (Angelina ). Angelina has been with us now for 5 years and we have loved (almost) every minute. With the age gap between the "teens" and Angelina we new we were not done!! So off to China again. This time we came home with a 5 year old boy. WuZiBu (Logan). Logan was a "special needs" child having a hydrocephalus shunt, and "enlarged" cornea's. We now know the "enlarged" corneas were caused by glaucoma.  The three years with Logan have been challenging. 9 operations on one eye!! But Logan is working hard to adapt to all the challenges that have been thrown at him.
I have more than my parents did in material objects, more education, and more opportunities than they ever had. Yet if you ask them, they had a family that made them happy, they didn't need all the riches in the world.  After all: it is the family that brings you the most joy, the most love, the best memories.