Tough Men and Women

Saw my oldest cousin and my dad’s side on the 4th and starting thinking about the tough men and women in our linage.

He has severe scoliosis. Wasn’t detected when he joined the Navy and he served four years. Rodeo participant  into his fifties. He operated a bulldozer reclaiming strip mines for some thirty years.  Now uses  two canes to get to his metal shop and welder. Bent, crooked fingers. Knee replacement.

My late father had all his fingers broken when an idiot took up the tension in the dragline cables he was aligning. Had his brother bend the metal splints enough so that he could operate the dragline controls. His biggest problem was leaving his Levis unbuttoned.

A cousin was an underground coal miner. Didn’t let a broken arm keep her from working all her shifts.

 Another cousin has MS. He has slowed down but still runs his contracting business.

Two aunts kept working until their cancers killed them.

It continues across generations. My youngest son was recently given a medical discharge from the Army with a very high disability rating. Gets up every morning, straps on the walking boot , climbs into the ambulance and loads and transports patients all day.

I think all across the country you can find these tough people doing what they need to do. We just don’t see them because they aren’t whining. Mothers who take care of their kids even if they crawl to do it.  Men who haven’t missed a days work in ten years. They just keep on keeping on.

Cows don’t care how you feel, they just need milking. So you get up and get them milked.