Traits We Inherit

I got a text from my little sister today informing me of her prognosis for a finger that had developed a painful lump on it. I thought she had inherited the same bent finger as my mother. My Mother doesn't know what happened with her pinky finger, but it is permanently bent and at one time she thought her mother had slammed it into a door or cabinet - for some reason my mother remembers a childhood no one in her family remembers. Anyways, so I prayed over my sister's finger that her prognosis wouldn't come back positive for something bad -- as on her father's side of the family, they have strains of cancer. I asked God to please not let it be that. So in a strange about way, the Lord answered my prayer, but it came back as osteoarthritis. You see, I can live with that prognosis, because I have been living with that prognosis since I was eight years old (it all started in my knees). I texted her back and told her she can thank our Buelita for that. My Buelita used to always complain about her body aching and especially her hands. Bless her heart, she used to use those aching hands to knead and make her huge family tortillas on a daily basis -- along with the other hundred things she used to get done with those pretty little petite hands. I shared with you that our family lost her to diabetes at the age of 62. One of the saddest days of my life.

It's too bad that when you fall in love with someone, who you will likely end up marrying and having babies with, that prior to your heart melting all over the place that we don't take the time to check out what sort of things that can be passed on from generation to generation due to their DNA makeup or familial traits. I'm pretty sure there might be some people in existence who actually do, but I can tell you for the most part, in my family we didn't. Like when my mother married my biological father, who was height challenged, she never thought that her children or some (me -- I'm talking about me) would be height challenged and in turn she would have height challenged children (again, still talking about me). Now, being short has its disadvantages however, girls can get away with being small and petite when they are young and beautiful, but as we age (again, talking about me) we tend to get as wide as we are tall -- not a great combination. I have a little daughter, but she isn't 5' .5" like myself, I believe she is 5' 2" -- however, my first born is 5'7" or 5'8", my twins though (God Bless them as I prayed so hard when I knew that they were boys that they would not be 5" .5" like their Mom and get their height from their Dad who was 6' but shrank to 5'10". So one twin is 5'6" and I have one that is 5'4" -- the shorter twin  has a big personality and doesn't seem height challenged to me, but there are times he will make a comment pertaining to his height and I remind him, you thank the good Lord your God that you got 4" above what you could have been and that is because of my fervent prayer to the heavens!!! I tell all my kids that they can thank God that they got my Mom's side of the family with good looks!!! I am not lying to you or being bias, but the majority of my cousins from my Mom's side are such beautiful people -- especially the women. The primary lineage of my Mom and her sisters were all gorgeous. My uncles were also very handsome, but the girls outshined them in looks.

So for my entire life, I had to look at my brown haired brother with baby blue eyes (he got those from our biological father), but myself, I got boring brown eyes and brown hair. My sister also got my Mom's brown eyes. Two of my children got brown eyes, however, my daughter has some green in the center of her eyes, because her Dad had blue eyes. My other two have blue eyes that turn green or green eyes that turn blue -- they are gorgeous light eyes. My sister got a blue eyed, beautiful red haired little girl. My baby blue eyed brother had a brown eyed son and a blue eyed son. The brown eyes continued on my daughter's children and my brown eyed nephew's son. My blue eyed nephew has a daughter and a son with gorgeous sky blue eyes. There was a phase in my life when those colored contact lenses came out to change your eye color -- I tried them for a short period, but then I just didn't look normal. Once God gives you what you get, it's hard to alter that and change what is reflected in the mirror. I can't say the same thing for my hair color though. My poor hair has been every color you could think of hair color to be.

It's unfortunate, but from my Mom's side of the family, the majority of us have struggled with weight issues. There are a few of us who have Thyroid Issues -- that doesn't help matters. Then because of the weight issues and because my Buelita had Diabetes, several of us cousins have developed Diabetes due to our weight issues. These misfortunes also were passed down through my Buelita's eleven children. We've all had our skinny days when we were young, but as we got older the weight just seemed to follow us. Many of us have coped with losing the weight through exercise and diet (Ozempic). There are some cousins who were diligent in their younger years of staying fit and didn't have an issue with weight, but they are the minorities of our family. My children have the propensity to become obese, so a couple have taken extra effort to avoid the weight issues, but a couple have developed the struggle. I speak from experience, I know how hard it can be once the weight takes a hold on you. I know my brother's kids have also struggled with the weight -- they stay proactive to keep it controlled for the most part. My daughter and her husband are very proactive in keeping my grandchildren at their ideal weight and place limits on their consumption of candy/sugar and the tendency to overeat.

I can't even begin to tell you how many of my family members on my Mom's side have developed asthma. Myself, my children and their children have suffered from asthma and allergies. I think all my Mom's children have allergies and their children as well. Many of my cousins have asthma.  All my children have allergies -- I believe three have asthma. We have food and drug allergies like crazy. One nephew has that Stevens-Johnson Syndrome with taking antibiotics -- he nearly died. My mother had an iodine reaction during one of her MRI's that put her into anaphylactic shock -- she actually died and was revived. As the result of that, I know I have an allergy to iodine on a topical application, so my doctors have taken huge steps to assuring any contrast I take with testing is buffered and a watchful eye is placed on my vitals. My sister has the same order in her medical records.

Lupus has also been an issue with some on my Mom's side. My brother developed a horrible auto-immune disease while in the military. At the age of 19 he suffered a near death experience. He suffered with severe arthritis from 19 forward and then toward the end of his life, he developed Lupus. I thank God he loved the Lord with all his heart and I know that when his suffering ended at only 56 years old after fighting so hard for so many years with chronic illness, he opened his eyes in heaven. Talk about having a thorn in his side -- for so many years he suffered. In his suffering, he wrote the most beautiful songs (both lyrics and music) and preached the gospel up until his last days. I used to read his devotionals and what he wrote was so God inspired. He pushed and endured to the end.

One thing I know for sure is that the foundation of all the family members that are Christians and love the Lord, started with my Buelita, her family and upbringing. Some of my Mom's family are still affiliated with the Catholic Church and many have converted into Protestant churches. I remember most of the family events that took place were centered around the Catholic Church. To this day, if I visit a Catholic Church, the aromas and aesthetics of that parish will only bring back warm memories of my childhood when visiting my Buelita and cousins on my Mom's side. I'm reflecting back on all my Aunts and I knew they all raised their children in a church environment. I'm not sure about my Uncles, but they were all present at the family events.

Also a common trait I've noticed that passes on through families, are the dialects and sounds of how individuals speak. My sister, my daughter and myself all sound alike when we speak. My Mom would probably sound like us, but because her first language was Spanish, she has a very thick Mexican accent. My companion and both his brothers sound alike. I have male cousins who sound like their brothers. I've noticed that my twins sound similar to their Dad. I'm thinking that is why when family sings together and harmonizes -- like me and my siblings, we can blend very well. In fact, I know that my singing ability (especially when I was younger) was inherited from my biological father. My Mom told me that my father used to sing in our apartment building, he loved singing opera, the neighbors would always comment on what a beautiful singing voice he had. I remember my Buelita also singing in another room to herself and I remember her singing voice being very pretty, my mother as well. I know my children can all sing well and my grandchildren have little angel voices. My brother's one son loves to sing and play an instrument. I would imagine the other nephew probably would be gifted as well, but it wasn't his aspiration. In fact, two of my children will not sing very often -- I just know they could sing, because I overheard them singing before and it was beautiful. But they don't have an interest like me to sing.

I'm sure along with inherited traits, there are developmental ones that can affect the future of our children and their children as well. That's a whole separate blog. I guess those would be personality traits.

I thought I'd share with you some of the inherited biological/physical traits of my family as my blog is soon to come to a close with only two more slots left to fill before Blogger puts a cap on the number of blogs under one account, but their posts in one blog is unlimited!. My companion was asking if I knew of any other sites where I could continue to blog. I told him I'm sure there is, but until I research, I might take a small break after my testimonial blog. So in the meantime, I'll think of two more subjects that might pertain to my testimonial before my conclusion of the testimonial blog. Thank you for those who have been reading. I've really enjoyed sharing my stories with you. Update: I was thinking I could have only 100 posts in a blog, but the limit is on the number of blogs per Blogger account. So I probably will continue my blog, but change the subject matter and conclude my testimonial content..

Exodus 20:6 -- "But showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

Psalm 127:3-5 -- "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."

Psalm 128:3 -- "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table."

Genesis 28:12-29:20 -- "And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 

Proverbs 17:6 -- "Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father."