My mother is my inspiration

[Silk]

I am my mother's first born and I have a baby brother.  After my father passed and we moved in with my aunt and uncle which I'm still on the fence about, my mother by her self had to struggle to take care of the two of us.  My aunt, (her sister) would under the pretense of baby sitting us, charge her to sleep in the same house (she worked the night shift as a nurse).  I found out later, it was because Mom had a son and she didn't.  Jealousy is a nasty thing especially between siblings.  Mom would smile and always graciously pay the rent, taxes on the house and anything else that was requested of her.  I remember  the hurt in her eyes, all the while keeping John and I clean,  fed as well as possible and safe under her watchful eye(but I didn't understand then).  My uncle would (God bless him) slip money back to her whenever he could knowing that my aunt would take her last  penny if he would allow it.  He was the peacemaker.  Mom was the one who taught me that if you persevere and treat people right, that all will turn out right in the end.  My uncle is gone now.  My aunt is now depending on me for support.  She has borderline dementia, and when she has need of help, she calls me.  It may seem strange, but I go to her, because she is my family.  She is paying for what she did.  Every time she looks in my face, she sees what she did to my mother.  That was not my fault.  I still love her, because we still had a roof over our heads and Mom made it work. We have to remember we have to love each other through the difficult times, especially those who hurt us.  It may seem impossible at the time, but it ALWAYS comes back around, and you never know who you will end up paying that debt back to. I hope I have been able to help someone today.  Love, real love is always unconditional.