I visited my mother on this trip to Canada.

To some, this would seem like a natural. However, my relationship with my mother has been strained over the years for a number of reason which I won’t get into here.

I was glad that my youngest brother and his family were there as well, or I would have cut and run a lot sooner than we did. This trip reminded me that my brothers are my family, despite the feelings I may have for (or against) my mother.

It’s always your relationship with your parents that make life interesting. They shape you, twist you, bend you, and sometimes break you. For me, the goal has been to try and escape the orbit my mother’s gravity pulls me toward. I see a lot of her in myself, and it scares the hell out of me. I know that I have to work hard to try and be my own person; but the baggage of my upbringing and genetics makes it a hard slog sometimes.

Seeing her reminded me that I have to continue to work, struggle against the pull, escape the potential disaster.