As the adages goes, you do not get to choose your family. That may be true, but you do have the option to choose if you are going to learn from them and even love them.
I am the middle daughter of three girls. Yes, my dad was outnumbered four to one. God love him and rest his soul. What am I saying, he is dancing in heaven as I write these words and I hope they are music to his ears.
Dortha Ecleasia aka, Cleasie is seven years older than I and the oldest in the clan. She has a bubbly personality and is one of those people that drives you nuts because they seem to be happy all the time. Sometimes she is downright crazy. She is a standup comedian in her own right and is the best storyteller I know. Her tone and pace are spot on. Her full-body animation sucks you into the thick of her story.
I am not sure if she was bored or if there was an ornery little boy lurking inside her trying to get out because growing up she played some unruly pranks on both me and my younger sister. She was known to put each of us in the dryer and threatened to turn it on except she was not threatening and did, turn on the dryer.
She fed Jamie, my younger sister, dry dog food with catsup on it. She tied me to a tree in our front yard to keep me from following her and her friends. One of the stories I remember most is when she convinced Jamie to help her hog tie me with duct tape. Yep, you heard me right. She hog-tied my hands to my feet but did not stop there. She moved to my face and taped my mouth, nose, and eyes. Remember the saying, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Well, it hurt like HELL when she ripped the tape from my skin plucking out my eyebrows with one hard yank.
Enough reminiscing let’s get to the lessons she taught me.
Our parents divorced when I was eight and Cleasie jumped into the role of my mom since our mother was working full time to put a roof over our heads and food on the table, just like a father would. No matter where we lived or what kind of house we lived in Cleasie always made it a home warm and inviting. She taught me families should stick together through thick and thin. After I moved away from home most of my holidays were spent back at her home. The truth is through the years, Cleasie was the glue that held our family together. She has taught me home is where the heart is.
In the late 70’s early 80’s income opportunities for women were much less lucrative than they are today. Although our mom was working a good job with the State of Texas there was always more month at the end of the money. Cleasie could make nothing into something wonderful be it a meal, home decorating, a school costume, a birthday party, campgrounds or the yard. There were no limits to her ability to make whatever we were doing GREAT. She has a gift and sees things not as they are but as they could be and then brings that vision to life. She taught me that everything has value and to waste nothing.
Cleasie was only sixteen when our parents divorced and no one asked her if she wanted to raise an eight and one-year-old, she just did. She cooked, cleaned, walked us to the bus, helped me with homework, kissed our booboos, and tucked us into bed. Much of the time she put her teenage desires to the side to make sure we were taken care of. She loved us like a mother yet we were not her children. I cannot think of a more selflessness act than to love someone else’s child. She taught me that every child matters and they all need to be loved.
For these lessons, I will be forever grateful. I love you Cleasie.