Hello

My name is Mary Beth.  Most people call be Mary, except my dad.  He called me "Mar".  I am married to Gene.  Most people call him "Geno".  So do I.  We have been married for  31 years.  As most people, not all those years have been easy.  Most are happy years for us but not many have been easy as you'll learn  from reading this blog.  Actually, I will be 63 in April and most of those years have not been easy.  Horrendous to say the least.  But...I am happy. 

I have three amazing, beautiful daughters.  Sara, Erin and Casey.  Three awesome son in laws.  Troy, Lenny and Charlie.  Together they have blessed us with seven beautiful grand babies. Grace, Chloe and Jaxon are Sara and Troy's.  Then I have Jameson and Samuel who belong to Erin and Lenny.  And Owen and Amiyah from Casey and Charlie.  These kids, all of them, even my adult kids, have been my saving grace.  They have kept me grounded. Focused. But mostly, they have taught me the true meaning of love and family.   My kids are my greatest accomplishments.  My grandkids are my greatest blessings.  

I write this to tell my story.  It is my story.  Sometimes it is our story.  But for the most part it is mine.  Not many people get it.  I have heard that I am misunderstood which can be so unfair.  I have felt alone most of my life.  I have adapted to all kids of circumstances.  I have been the daughter, not the daughter, the mom, the wife (twice), the sister, the cousin and the forgotten cousin.  The grand daughter and now the grandma.  I am a warrior, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. But most disheartening I have been searching for that little girl and have never been able to reach her. Its been years since I've heard from her.  But quite frankly I can't blame her for hiding.  Its been a wild ride.  So lets get on with it!  Misunderstood no more. 

Chapter 1.....