Integrity is Not Just a Concept

I want to tell a story about one of the most honest and forthright persons I have ever known. I'll admit I'm biased, 'cause it's my Mom I'm talking about.

My Mom and her 3 brothers were born to poor Eastern North Carolina farmers in the late 1930's. Her parents divorced when she was little and she "raised" her younger brothers in the place of her absent mother who was more concerned with social status than to be bothered by raising four young kids, so my Mom just took over and mothered them.

Mom quit high school in the middle of 10th grade to marry in order to escape an obviously lousy home life. My parents were married for 4 years before Mom got pregnant with me, her only child. My Dad left my Mom in September, 1956 and I was born in December of the year. Suddenly single and a new parent my Mom put her nose to the grindstone and toughed it out. In March of 1957 she got a job with AT&T and stayed with them 'til she retired in 1990.

She worked every double shift, split shift, weekend and Sunday she could. She raised me with virtually no help from my asshole Father. And she never asked for any help from him either. By the time their divorce became official, he had another woman pregnant and my Mom refused child support and alimony because she didn't want to "take food out of the mouths of his other children." My Dad went on to have four other kids with his second wife. That's example number one of my Mom standing up and demonstrating massive integrity.