History - On The Road Again

Our grandchildren do not know what their grandmother went through in her marriage. This should be instructive for those that cannot move from home, or their city. Here is what Pat did. After getting married, she moved with her Navy husband to Boston, Massachusetts. While in Boston she lived at three different address: Beachmont, Massachusetts Ave. and Beacon St. We did not have much in goods to move and rented furnished each time. When I got transferred to Norfolk, Virginia she moved back to Detroit. When I bought a trailer on the outskirts of Norfolk she moved there. She got a job in the U.S. Civil Service and stayed until I was discharged from the Navy. After that we moved to Detroit and lived with her parents until we bought our new, threee-bedroom, one-bath house in Allen Park, Michigan. Five of our children were born at that house. We did not have money for furniture so we did without for nearly two years. After Tim was born we knew we needed a larger house. We built a five-bedroom, three-bath, four story house in Redford Township. Our family of eight fit in it just fine, plenty of room for everybody. Pat got everybody settled into new schools. We decided to move to Florida for two reasons: Colleen was always coughing, Pat and I got tired of the cold weather. I quit my job at Ford and went to Miami to find a job in the sun. By this time we had furniture to move and my new employer agreed to pay for the move. I was working in Miami and Pat was the person that handled the move. She had to pack everything for everybody and let me know when to come up and we would all drive down together. We only had one car at this time. I had rented a house in Miami for the furniture destination. Pat and the kids lived in a motel until the furniture would arrive. She and the six kids stayed at that motel for almost two weeks because the truck carrying the furniture had a fire. All our stuff was either burnt or had smoke dammage. Pat had to drive me to work each morning and return to get me each evening. The house I had rented went to someone else and Pat spent some time house hunting with all the kids. She found a three-bedroom, one-bath house in South Miami and we moved in when the furniture was available. I lost nearly all my college books in that fire. We soon found we were too crowded and Pat found a house with three-bedrooms, two-baths and a swimming pool. Again, she packed everybody up and we moved. After four years I lost my job, could not find one in Miami, and went back to Detroit for a job. I found a job in Roseville, MI. and a house in Fraser, MI. Once more, Pat packed everything, got all the school transcripts, and drove up with the kids in the station wagon. The house I had rented was a three-level, three-bedroom, two-bath home. The boys had to sleep in a hide-a-bed couch and make that bed into a couch every day because they slept in the family room. After three years, I left my job for more money and we had to move to Van Wert, Ohio. I rented two side-by-side apartments, had a doorway put between them, and it gave us four bedrooms, two baths, two front rooms and two kitchens. I was only ten minutes to work. I had a company car to drive so Pat did not have to get up as early in the morning to drive me to work. Pat, once more, packed everything up in Fraser and I drove up to get the family and drive down with them. I was in Van Wert for less than a year and lost the job. I went back to Detroit to get a job and lived with my parents for a while. Pat stayed in Van Wert until our fates were decided. I got a job in my trade, Automotive Body Designer, but Pat kept saying: "Get us back to Miami," she had had it with Van Wert. I quit my job in Detroit and went to Miami looking for a job. When I found one, Pat was anxious to move down and I found a house with a pool. Again, she packed everything, got in the station wagon and drove down to Miami. We were not pleased with this house, the pool had a leak and the owner would not fix it. Pat searched for another house. She found one in the same neighborhood we had been in before, but no pool. It soon became clear that we needed a pool and Pat found one not too far from where we had lived before. This house had a pool, four-bedrooms and two-bathrooms. After a few years here our situation seemed settled and Pat looked for a place to buy. She found one close by and we bought it, no pool. (I was getting tired of caring for a pool and the kids were not using it much.) I left my job and got more money in Pompano Beach, FL. I commuted there each day, ninety-five miiles round trip. The money was worth it, we also had two cars by now. Eventually, I got a very good job offer in Westland, MI. In a discussion we had, Pat said: "I will stay here and wait for you to get another job in Miami." Sure enough, I was back in Miami in a year, she had dodged another round trip move. After four years, I recieved another good offer in Westland, MI. Once more, Pat said I will wait for you here. I lost that job and found one in Misshawaka, Indiana. Pat passed on that one also. Later, I found a job in Gainsville, Georgia. At this time, all the kids had left home and were living on their own. She was left only with her Mother, Rose. She was working at Eastern Airlines at the time and this time she said, hmmmmm. I can transfer to the Atlanta airport, we could get a house between the places we work, "I'll do it." She sold the house in Miami and moved to a rented house in Norcross, GA. After one year, my company downsized and I was out of a job. I found one in Columbus, Mississippi but Pat said, "You commute, I am not moving to a small town again. I lived in Columbus during the week and drove to Norcross on the weekends. Later, the unions took Eastern airlines to bankruptcy and Pat was out of a job. When Rose died Pat was alone in Norcross. I left my job in Columbus and took a better one in Westland, MI. By this time Pat was not a cold weather girl and said I want to be back in south Florida. She decided to build a retirement home in Naples Florida. She lived there more than a year and decided she wanted to be near some of our kids. She sold the house in Naples and moved to a place in Green Cove Springs, Florida to be near Dawn who lived in Orange Park. When I retired I moved to Green Cove Springs. Dawn and all three of her children, individually, moved to Chicago or Millwalkee. We were now alone in Green Cove Springs and Pat still had a desire to be near some of the kids. She decided to move to McDonough, Georgia to be near Duane and Cheryl. She had a condominium built, three-bedrooms, two-baths, gated community and moved there three years ago. Is it any wonder that when she hears of relatives that will not leave a location they are in to get a job, she looks down on them? Or those that must stay near Mom because they would not know how to run their own lives. Where is the sense of adventure? Where is the taking a chance on your own adaptability? Why the shirking of hard work? Is comfort placed so high that it removes the ability to live a full and rewarding life? She hears of discontent, dropping hopes and obsenities yet, it is she who knows what it is to venture out into the unknown, solve the problems of a new location, work all day to make a home, all while taking care of six kids. She is a hero. She is not like other moms. She is an accomplished worker, care giver, gifted artisan, home maker and lives life to the fullest. It takes life to love life. And, she is beautiful.