A Continuation and an Update -- About Me

This may be the ship...my father kept this for a reason.

Once upon a time there was a handsome young man and a beautiful maiden that gave birth to a cute little girl. She was the second of four children and was born in England. When 2 years old, the handsome young man and his wife decided to come back to the USA and raise their children here. So we boarded a ship (no, it wasn't the Mayflower!!), and headed out for the 1 month journey back to the US.

This is our passport photo. My mother, brother and me.

Once there, the man followed in his father's footsteps, and opened a jewelry store, where he could make and sell jewelry and practice his learned trade of being a watchmaker. Yes, he could build a watch from nothing. A dying trade today. His father, the little girl's grandfather, was also a watchmaker.
As the little girl grew up, she enjoyed a happy life until the unexpected happened. One morning in May, when the little girl was 10, she woke up and noticed a lot of cars parked outside. But she didn't see her parents car. Then she noticed voices, a lot of voices, downstairs. When she went downstairs she also noticed a lot of tears. What had happened?
Her mother, whom she dearly loved, had been killed the night before in a car accident! Hit head on by a drunk driver!! Her Dad was in the hospital with practically no chance for survival. What a sad day that was....one that the little girl never forgot! Thankfully her Dad did recover! But he was now left with the responsibility of caring for 4 children, ages 3 - 11. What a job!!

This was taken shortly before my mothers death.

As you can imagine, the little girl's father struggled with work and family and he was very lonely. So in about a year, he re-married. It was not a good marriage due to the fact that she had no idea how to raise children (she was very young) and she was a bit abusive, verbally and physically, to the little girl's sister. (By now you know the little girl is me!) That broke my heart! But before the marriage ended, she gave birth to a son. It wasn't too long and they divorced and my heart was torn to shreds as she left with my little brother that I had raised up till that time! (He was 2). I had done everything for him! Even potty trained him!! He made me want a house full of boys when I grew up. Thankfully as he got older he came and lived with us until he was a teenager.
My father was not a disciplinarian, so us kids were left on our own. We needed him so much! But he had no idea! So in time, he again could see he needed help and he felt the loneliness and re-married! I was 16 by this time and we all liked who he married. She seemed so good for him. (She actually is the one who gave my husband and I our spiritual heritage.) And, as you can probably guess, a number of years later, when I was 27 and had 2 children of my own, she gave birth to my sister. She's a sweetie!
My father died in 1996 at the age of 66. I miss him terribly! I will always be thankful to him for doing his best in raising us, and not giving up or giving us up.