To this day there are times when my Mom says, “I wish I had let you see more how much we struggled.”  Money-wise she says we struggled.  Money was tight, times were hard.

We never saw it.

Our summers were spent at the beach at my Nana’s cottage.  Swimming in Lake Erie, playing on our exceedingly large inner tube (I still miss bouncing on that thing).  We spent weekends there in the winter, too.  Walking across the thick ice, playing in feet of snow.

Our Christmas’s were always happy and our Christmas lists were filled.

Every holiday was filled with family.  Thanksgiving our house was overflowing. Piles of coats on my parents’ bed. The kitchen so full of people my mom would say ‘never again’ every year…and every year we’d do it again.  The long table filled with people, the kids table right next to it.  Christmas at my aunts house, so full the heater wasn’t needed for all the bodies and good cheer in there.

Dinner was always on the table. I didn’t always like it, but there it was.

I had dance, the bro had hockey.

Life was good.

I always look back on my childhood with a smile.

Were there troubles?  Sure. I remember them.  I remember bad times too…

But the good times outweighed the bad.

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Written using MamaKat’s prompt #164 “What made your childhood bearable? Write about it.”  My childhood was more than bearable…so there you have it 😀