Families we all have them

[stevewool]

Yes as the title says families, now i am not talking about the extended family but blood, brothers and sisters,
I am from a very large family i have 6 brothers and 5 sisters and i am the youngest boy with just a younger sister then me, i am also a twin too,
So growing up in such a large family you may think we was close, well living in a three bedroom house with just 1 living room we was very close infact i would say squashed is the better word,
There was fights , shouting , and girlfriends and boyfriends coming and going and even the odd policeman too, but being so young we was shield from lots of things, LIFE WAS VERY GOOD,
Its now the present day we all have grown up many have families of there own and now lots of grandchildren too, we have lost some brothers and even a sister but the closeness has gone ,
If it was not for me going to visit any of them i would not see them , this weekend i have managed to see 3 of the family and talked to another one on the phone, and the magic words everyone ask is, HAVE YOU SEEN ANYONE,
Its funny we are all concerned for each other but its only when someone has told someone else , do other families have this or are the Woolleys unique

[Steve.r]

I don't think you are alone Steve. Not seen or talked to my brother for 8 years. To be honest, I don't think about him any more. I have my own life.

[stevewool]

Its a shame , but like you say we all have our own lives now,

[Terpe]

I don't think you are alone Steve. Not seen or talked to my brother for 8 years. To be honest, I don't think about him any more. I have my own life.

I had a younger brother.
We were very close until he reached 16
By the I had already left home.
We didn't really connect for years, later he confessed he felt I had deserted him alone in a dysfunctional family.

When he moved to Spain we got very close again.
His life there wasn't healthy but I was able to support him for many years.
We kept in touch one way or another for years without actually meeting regularly. Maybe we'd get together every 2 or 3 years

When he passed away I was completely devastated and if I'm honest I've never been able to secure any closure on his death.
There isn't a day goes by I don't have him in my thoughts.

I wish I had made a priority of meeting up more often and helping him more than I did. It's my one and only regret.

Now I have no blood family at all.
I do have an extended family here in the Philippines, mostly in ComVal, and I love them dearly. I want to help them more than I do but they're a proud group and it takes some special times and a silver tongue to convince them to accept help.
I know and feel just how much they they freely give to me and it's painful for me when they refuse any reciprocal help or support since I know how they oftentimes struggle

That's families I guess

[Steve.r]

I am sorry to hear about your brother Peter. At least you got to know him again and he knew you did care. Not sure I can say the same for mine. I don't talk about mine as he has his life and that's that. I have told the children that they have an Uncle, but if they ever meet him I don't know. It won't serve any purpose in my mind. Families eh!!

[grahamw48]

That's so very sad about your brother Peter.

I have an older brother and two younger sisters.

We are 'sociable', but live separate lives, not seeing each other often because, as with so many families these days, we are geographically spread out.

My brother is on facebook, but my sisters aren't.

They are all thrilled (if slightly bemused) with my new family.

I think they've come to expect such 'non-conformist' behaviour from brother Graham though. lol.