Friday, August 3, 2018

My Nephew


I have bunches of nieces and nephews. Many of them have children and even grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It is one of the glories of having a large family.

I was especially close to my husband's brother's children. We all lived in the big city away from the rest of the family.

His youngest son was only a couple of years old when my first child was born. My son has often said that his cousin was the closest he had to a big brother.

The kids spent a lot of time together. My older two boys would spend nights at their aunt and uncle's house. My niece and nephews spent nights at our house.

My nephew was an ornery child. He always had that gleam of mischief in his eyes. He had a knack for troublesome behavior.

I am not saying he was a bad child. He was just adventurous and did not always think things through.

He taught my boys to swear and what the swear words meant. It is not the thing to do but I admit I washed their mouths out with soap. They still used those awful words.

When my nephew started school my sister-in-law had her last one in school. (She had two more daughters a few years later.) One day she was at the kitchen sink washing breakfast dishes. She looked up and out the window.

There was her 5 year old son running down the alley with about a half dozen older children including her other two. She ran out and chased them down.

My nephew did not like school so he formed a "skip school" club. He talked all those older kids into skipping school with him. It turned out that those children had not been in school for much of the year.

When he was older my nephew and I worked together. A friend had a scrap yard at several locations. The two of us worked at the smallest of the three.

We worked well together. The work was done and we had fun doing it. He could make me laugh so hard.

He married and had two children, a boy and a girl. As happens he was busy with his family and we did not see as much of him.

His wife died of cancer. I am not sure who raised his daughter. He had his son. My sister-in-law helped take care of him.

Unfortunately my nephew started using drugs. I do not know how bad it was. By that I mean that I do not know whether he was addicted. I suspect he was.

He spent a couple of years in prison for auto theft. At least he had no access to drugs.

My nephew got out of prison last Thursday. He was released to live at a girlfriend's house. She is a drug user and my brother-in-law did not want him to go there.

Over the weekend my nephew overdosed. It happens to a lot of prisoners who were drug users. After about a day he was pronounced dead.

I will miss that cute little boy who lived life to its fullest. He made a stupid decision and broke a lot of hearts.

13 comments:

  1. What a sad story, I have never tried drugs and I have ne desire to do so! Diane

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    1. I have been fortunate that none of my children has ever used drugs. Where we lived drug use is common.

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  2. I'm so sorry to hear of your nephew's death, Emma. But what a wonderful post you have created about him. It made him alive to us readers, and we feel his loss as well.

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    1. He was so alive. I am sad that the decisions he made cost him that life.

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  3. Sending love your way, I am sorry for your loss, my friend. I despise this deadly drug epidemic.

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    1. The availability of illegal drugs is part of the abuse. People who make the decision to use them are another part. People who look the other way from all this are another part. Of course there are more excuses but in the end people are senselessly losing their lives.

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  4. I was so sad to read this Emma. My sincere condolences for your loss.

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  5. I was catching on on fellow bloggers posts, Emma, and this one saddened me. My condolences to you and your family on the death of your nephew, such a sad loss.

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    1. Thank you. Services are today and I am unable to attend. His father is having a hard time dealing with this.

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  6. That is sad, Emma, and I send you my condolences!

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    1. Thank you. Two of my children were able to attend the funeral. They said it was as nice as a funeral can be.

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  7. Ironically, I had a very close friend who lost her daughter due to 'accidental overdose'. I'm so sorry to read about your nephew. Very tragic. :(

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    1. Thank you. My condolences to you and everyone who cared about your friend's daughter.

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