Clash of the Cultures--Part II

On top of the obvious cultural differences inherent in my family of origin, was the blending of wild and furious temperaments. 

My mother, a fiery redhead of German descent on both the PA Dutch and the Appalachian sides of her family, was raised by a very strong and determined widow (half Irish/half German) who was not pushed around by anybody.  Suffice it to say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  My octogenarian mommy is still brave, and strong, and fearless.  She is an only child and would have been a great frontierswoman.  She still likes to camp and swims three times a week at the Wellness Center.  While she accepts her limitations and embraces her age with admirable grace, she is not a person who uses it as a crutch.  Like her own mother, she is ready to go at nearly a moment's notice and is generally out and about with some friend at some function.  She possesses an inner strength that serves her quite well now, but made for an often volatile atmosphere in our home growing up.

As a boy who practically raised himself on the streets of Jersey City and New York City, my dear, old dad bore many of the character traits my mother still carries.  He was, as stated in the previous post, a street punk of the worst kind.  He lied, and cheated, and stole.  He stowed away in a ship's cargo hold at twelve and sailed around the tip of South America; as a teen, he chased Sinatra (yes, Old Blue Eyes) all over Jersey City with murderous intent.  By his mid-teens, he had been beaten mercilessly by every adult in his immigrant (Finnish and Swedish) family, and had been signed into  military school by his own mother to keep him off the streets.  He had witnessed dozens of street killings and knew (personally) at least as many people who ended up fish food in cement shoes at the bottom of the Hudson River.

I know what you're thinking:  How do people like this stay married to each other for 54 years, and how many thousands of dollars have their children spent on therapy?  The answers are this:  God's grace, and not much.  I think it all boils down to a deep and death-defying love that manifested in passionate laughter, creative romance and regular dish throwing and door slamming.  Stay tuned for the next installment...