Here Dante is with his little sister, Bella Rosa, and brother Carlos, just before he started school this last summer. I believe his hair was at his longest. Surely!
Oh what a difference a haircut makes. Dante is hardly recognizable as the same 15 year old kid in this ROTC uniform. He looks very mature. In fact I felt a tug. He could be going off to war! I just hope it's over by the time he really is old enough to go!
Angelina is a strong mother to get the wild Dante attending church with her as regularly as she does. He rebels some, and she has blamed his skeptic dad, but she said I told him as long as he is under my roof he will abide by my rules. So now Dante cooperates because he really does love his mother. In these hard times, when the little kids dad got laid off from his construction job and fell into a defunk, she has been working hard to put food on the table. Dan had to help her out with some money tonight for a car payment. She can't afford to lose her car which has room for both little kids to be strapped into their car seats. She had to change job because her paycheck on her maid job kept bouncing! Now she is working as a telemarketer where she knows she will get her pay.
I remember hard times of working to keep everything together after a divorce, so I know what she is up against. She has a few maid jobs on the side. Her sister who gave up her own kids to a difficult ex-husband is tending the kids for her now in exchange for board and room and what Angelina can spare. Their father would smack them out of his 'job frustration' and Angelina could not tolerate him as the baby sitter. She is being a protective mom.
My son Dan was moving into his older brother Gary's house last night. In hard times brothers move in with brothers and cousins and sisters with sisters. I found out that since my sister Linda's house is in foreclosure and will be auctioned off this month, Gary offered his home to her son Scott, too, as a temporary refuge. Scott has been waiting to be called to work where Dan works. He has been okayed. He has been staying to the house, doing yard sales and selling on E-bay what he could.
I told Raymond it is a poorer America we have now since this big recession and so many people, even the rich, lost money and also became poor. But I like to see people helping people to weather hard times. This may even be a good thing. I think whatever brings people closer together is a boon.
We have had a consumer driven economy which means we bought a lot of 'stuff.' Well, now it's less stuff and maybe more emphasis on human relations.
Raymond has been trying to get his brother Dan to move in with Gary. I think he feels he needs family around since his heart attack.
3 comments:
I am grateful that Gary let Scott move in and glad he took the old Rake. Scott, I don't think, wanted to move in with Tony, but he has a lot of friend around too. I hope the job comes through soon.
Wow!! What a huge difference in Dante, he does look so handsome in his uniform. That is a cute picture of him with his siblings though.
What darling children. Dante does look handsome in his uniform, but I love the first picture best as I always think Mexican children are so beautiful. (Evn the half Mexican like Dante and my Mason are very striking looking.
I have thought lie you that even though things are hard and many are struggling just to work and get by that something good will come from this eventually. I think all we spoiled Americans had been getting our values rather mixed up for a long time. There is nothing wrong with having a good life with lots of beautiful surroundings but everyone needs to know that family and friends are far more important.
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