Family Stuff

The other members of the family in this time

I want to thank all of you who read this substack. I’m throwing out a special offer out there. If you switch to a paid subscription, I will send you free books, Alice Zero and The Cloud Diver (with a cool bonus with that one.) And I’ll send you an illustrated post card story. But whether you pay or you don’t, I want to thank you all for subscribing, following and reading my adventures. It means a lot.

I realize that the last entry I talked about my grandmother. I feel I should focus on some of the good that came from that time in Detroit. I got to see other family members and I figure since the last entry was a downer, let’s talk about the other ones.

I haven’t had the chance to really talk to Aunt Jennifer. Jennifer is my uncle’s second wife. My sister adores her. Often saying that she is the most underappreciated person in the family. She’s right. Aunt Jenn has an amazing heart. She cares, and goes out of her way to be helpful to people. I still don’t know her that well, but what chats we did have during my time here were great. So Jenn, if you’re reading this, I appreciate you. Thanks for being so helpful and kind to me in this time.

I mentioned Dad, and I need to mention him more. I hadn’t seen dad in years. It was an unexpected surprise to see him. We would regularly hang out and go out and do things while I was there. We’d talk about things, and where to go. It wasn’t quite like old times. Dad and I are adults, and we tend to talk more like equals now. This time around we avoided fighting over stupid shit, and enjoyed the time we had.

I taught my dad how to substack, and he’s taken to it quite well. My dad is one of the most brilliant people I know. He does incredible things, and his mind is unlike anyone I’ve ever seen. He tends to be insightful and sees the world in ways that most people never bother to consider. Love him. He’s a fantastic parent. I hope if I have kids someday, I’m half the man he is.

And I got to visit my other grandmother in Windsor from time to time. During this time, she was prepping for surgery. It was cool to play cards with her again, and teach her how to play rummy all over again.

I should mention the power that is Oma Pancakes. I got to have them several times throughout the time I spent with her. Oma Pancakes rule. It was great to have the chance to eat them again a few times.

And there was my mom. I got to see her too. I’m going to focus on her in a later entry, because I got to see her home for the first time in almost a decade, and will focus there, but it was nice to get the opportunity to talk with her again in this time.

Finally, I spent some time playing Commander in Detroit. There was a card shop about half a mile from Nanna’s house, and to get out of the house, I’d walk there and play a few games from time to time. Commander in Detroit was quite fun. Magic the Gathering is a great way to pass the time, and there I’d play every week while I was there.

Time flew fast. When I left I left all those behind. Dad is now in Yuma. Mom went back to Strathroy, and Oma stayed where she was in Windsor.

Finally, I would have enjoyed the opportunity to connect with the few friends I had in Windsor, but that didn’t happen. One of the biggest lessons I’ve had the entire trip is that my past connections for the most part are stuck in the past. Going back here, and my holiday stop was the big lesson on this.

But that’s the next entry.