A Family Affair

I spend most of my days just living. I have fun with my friends, I have a good job, and drive a decent car. I don't have a lot of money, but I have the things I need. My parents worked hard to raise me and my siblings to be productive citizens; drugs and alcohol are bad and will kill you, trust God for all things, nothing is free - learn to work hard, etc. are the ideals they instilled in us. Basically, those are the same values that their parents taught them. As a teenager, I realized that some of my extended family members missed out on some of these lessons. Unfortunately, most of the people that I am ashamed to claim as family extend from my mother's family - on both sides. For the most part, these are all good people, just misguided as to what may or may not be culturally acceptable. These are the people who will visit a funeral home in a t-shirt with their favorite race car driver's picture plastered on the front of it. They are still proudly sporting their mullets, and no matter how many baths they will take in their lifetime, they will inevitably have the grease stains on their fingers and under their nails. You know the type. You've seen them at Wal-Mart. Now, we are not all that way; some of us have risen above. My mother's maternal family is a true work of art. Once my great-uncle sued my cousin: My cousin hugged my uncle at the funeral home. Uncle has brittle bones and during the hug, the pressure from a cigarette lighter in a shirt pocket caused Uncle's rib to crack. In turn, Uncle sued cousin for medical expenses and pain and suffering. There has been a recent on-going dispute between some aunts and uncles over property lines; the whole family occupies 8-10 houses on one road and are all neighbors. On top of family not making the greatest neighbors, the ones that go to church all go to the same church. They of course hound the ones who don't go, but can't manage to get along at church with the rest of the family, which in turn hinders the ones who don't go. It never ends. Most of the time I laugh about them and go on with my business. Since I don't live on that road, I feel less tied to the never-ending drama. The one cousin is doped out on meth, and can be seen all over town sitting outside convenience stores on his bar stool and selling Nascar and other white-trash paraphernalia out of his 1975 model Ford van. Yeah, that guy that you're picturing... the one with the balding mullet and darkly tinted glasses that are way too big for the face, wearing a dingy Nascar shirt and Velcro tennis shoes, jeans sagging and cigarette stuck in his mouth at all times... that's him. But last night was it all hit the fan. Another cousin has recently separated from his wife. She had put up with him being an alcoholic for twenty years and had finally had enough. She kicked his ass to the curb and moved her new boyfriend in later that day. That was a month ago. Apparently since then, my cousin and the new boyfriend have been exchanging not-so-pleasantries back and forth. Last night cousin got a little juiced up, also I would assume that maybe there were chemicals other than alcohol coursing through his veins, and he showed up at her house. He knocked on the door and when he saw her come to the door, he starting shooting his gun. He stinkin' blew her head off - their 17 and 13 year old sons their to witness the whole thing. He told another cousin that he went there intending to shoot the new boyfriend, but as it was, it took care of her instead. What a mess. The morning news coverage can be seen here. So far, they have not released any names, but I am assuming when the Noon news airs, their names and pictures will be plastered on the television. It's a funny thing about families. I know that what he did was not the right thing, and I am in no way trying to uphold his actions. Also, I haven't seen him in years. But... The "family" side of me is aching for he must be going through today since he's sobered up and realized what he's done. Also, I feel so sorry for the two boys and for my aunt and uncle. It's so weird really. I mean, I just go through my life everyday, barely giving that side of my family a second thought. But then something like this happens and shakes my world a little. I remember talking to my mom's sister a couple of years ago about some of the family quarrels that were going on at the time. I told her, "Yeah, but we're still a family, and in the end, families stick together." I guess that has come true this time. Please pray for my family and his wife's family as this ordeal proceeds.