Finding Joy

Cover Art by Red Fox Letters

My grandmother Gladys was a great role model for me. She was there any time my parents needed a babysitter and always had a fun day in store for us. She would take us to play mini golf, bake cookies or make her famous no bake cheesecake with us, which was my favorite. Her favorite seemed to be taking us to the park.

My grandmother lived with and took care of her older brother, my uncle Milford. Uncle Milford was a World War II veteran who suffered a lot of trauma from the war. He was a kind, gentle man who also adored all his great nieces and nephews. He never spoke to us about what he went through and I only heard of the stories from my father later in life. A lot of people that did not know what Uncle Milford went through found him to be odd and eccentric. He loved lawn ornaments and went overboard decorating, much to my grandmother’s embarrassment. Every time she tried to clean up the yard to make it look more tasteful, he would buy more items for the lawn.

When I was younger, I did not understand why he did this. I look back now and understand that he had seen some horrific things in the war that he never got past. When he found something that brought him joy and gave him something to focus on, he took it to the extreme.

My father still tells stories of how Milford always defended women. If anyone ever argued with his mother, he always stepped in and did not allow anyone to mistreat her. Some people could not see past the over-decorated yard, but it brought him peace in a world that probably did not make any sense to him after the war. He taught me valuable lessons about judging a person by their appearance or habits.

Rebecca was born in Portsmouth, Virginia when her dad was in the Navy. She lived there until she was eight-years-old. Her parents were both from Southwestern, Pennsylvania, and she has lived in the area since she moved from Virginia. Rebecca and her husband Michael have been married for 16 years. Her oldest child, Karleigh, is about to turn 15, and her youngest child Sean is 10-years-old.