It is all about the family..........

It is all about family to me- I was born into a very large family, and I am not joking about the large.......I was the last of 19 children born to my father and mother. My father being a poor dirt farmer from Alabama, losing 2 wives, having 10 children to raise on his own in Checotah, Oklahoma.My mother, who had never worked a day in her life, being widowed with 8 children to care for-on a farm in Checotah, Oklahoma. They were neighbors, and when each of their spouses died, they secretly at first, started courting,they fell in love and got married-much to family and friends shock and chagrin-except for Mother and Daddy and all the kids. The kids had played at each others houses, spent the night at each others houses, and attended school together-so they all knew each other well . My mother was a tall, 5'8, high spirited filly, at times hot-headed, red head. My daddy was at the most 5'foot tall, a very soft spoken, laid back, mellow, kind hearted man. To Daddy they were all his kids, to Mother his were his kids and hers were her kids....which would cause problems and hurt feelings many times over in the years to come. Daddy was 58 years old and Mother was 37 years old. To hear the older kids talk-Daddy was totally smitten and in love with this long-legged red head. About a year later-I was born.