MY DAD WAS A HARD WORKING MAN. LOVED ALL HIS CHILDREN. WOULD TAKE HIS SHIRT OFF HIS BACK FOR PEOPLE. HE IS SADLY MISSED. BUT I KNOW HE IS PAIN FREE NOW.THERE WERE ROUGH TIMES AND THERE WERE HAPPY TIMES. WE WERE VERY POOR GROWING UP. BUT WE AS A FAMILY WAS VERY CLOSE AND SOME ARE STILL TODAY. I WASN'T A FAVORITE OF SOME PEOPLE. BUT I KNOW MY DADDY LOVED ME. I WOULD GO TO THE DUMP WITH MY DADDY.ONE DAY WHEN I WAS LITTLE. I FOUND A GARNET RING IN A RING BOX. I PROBABLY WAS 7. WELL MY DAD HUNG ON TO THE RING AND GAVE IT TO ME WHEN I GREW UP. GARNET IS MY BIRTHSTONE. HE WOULD BE VERY PROTECTIVE OF US.I REMEMBER THE STORIES HE WOULD TELL GROWING UP. HE WOULD  HIDE AND SKIP SCHOOL BEHIND A SKINNY BUSH AND YOU COULD SEE HIM CLEARLY.WHEN  HE WAS A TEENAGER HE  USED TO WORK AT AN OLD GAS STATION IN BALITMORE MARYLAND. HE WAS A HANDSOME MAN. THEN HE MET MY MOTHER. SOON 9 OF US CAME ALONG AFTER.