A Long Days Journey Back to Home

This is how I remember my family. Yes, I am the little one in the red vest. I remember happiness and simplicity. I don't remember fights and hate. Which utterly perplexes me how times change so easily. People change. It someone looked at this photo could they possibly see what futures were held for these people? Can you spot the alcoholic? The troublemaker/pothead? The faggot? Or the thief?

If you've spotted three of the five, congratulations you are psychic. This is how I'd like to begin the story of my family (someday of course), which an imagine similar to this picture. My very childhood memories rely on this very photo, if I stray to far away from this photo all of my childhood may crackup completely.

I have found out something very important on my visit here. That is the story of our Rise and Fall as Jehovah's Witnesses. It truly is a sordid tale, and once again has inspired me to someday write a play based on it:

Act I:
My mother and her younger sister were raised Catholic until she (my mom) was 13. Then her parents made the change to Jehovah's Witnesses. That is still a mystery, but I also can compare it with the very moment they lost their minds. My mother fled my grandparents iron rule at 18 and promptly became pregnant with my brother at 21.

My dad was a 21 year old pot smoking dropout who wanted to change his life. He wanted something to believe in. He became a Jehovah's Witness and a good one at that. He became a partner in his father's business and was basically one step below being an Elder. Mother's younger sister was a Jehovah's witness and thus her husband was one too. All but my mother never was baptised.

As years passed my mother had me and my brother started school. She began to resent my father and his religion for ostracizing her children. My brother was sent to the Principal's office whenever there were parties of any kind. My father also began to get more involved with the business and that meant sometimes lying about certain business transactions. This was not the way of a Jehovah's Witness. Lying and watching you distance yourself from your family. My father left and thus is officially excommunicated.

Oh, but if only that were the end of this tale. No, it's not.

Act II:

My Aunt and her husband, still Jehovah's Witnesses, have their first child. While my aunt is weakened by birth somehow a rare blood disease she had took that opportunity to become active in her body.

A week after she had her child she developed kidney stones and one one could figure out what was wrong with her. She returned to the hospital and complications began. Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in Western Medicine and though a blood transfusion could possibly have cured everything. She never got it. My Uncle refused to give her the transfusion, they even had other Witnesses come to the hospital to keep him strong. But my mother said that she still remembers the wails he let out they moment she was gone.

That's not how I remember my family, but that's how it really happened.

Lastly, this is my at my fattest. Some people don't believe I was once chubbier. So I'm bringing pictures home to show the Tall Man because he shared his fat photos with me.