Donnie Bolena
Wow, this coming
Christmas I turn 48? It seems like it was just yesterday day that I turned my
little sister Rhonda lose on my little mini bike in the back yard. At our house
on the North-Side of
Rhonda was 7 then, Carlton
Little did any of
us know that the good Lord touched me with a little bit extra? I was a very
hyper kid. I mean it’s actually amazing that I am still breathing. Over the
last 36 years my family has seen it all and done it all either with me or
through me. On a cool November Friday 13 1981, our dad the Policeman was shot
in the line of duty 8 times. Three times in the chest, once in the stomach, and
four times in his left arm. Mom had all of us doing what she still does to this
day working. We were painting the hall and watching Oprah, all of us were
covered in paint, the police Chaplin and another policeman was at the front
door and the local news broke in saying our 4 JSO Police men have been involved
in a shootout on the Westside behind Forrest
High School
Donnie's Mom, Sisters, and Brother
Little did we know that God was only preparing all of us for the future as we would see many more trying times as a family? Just as we had some rough patches we also had some great minutes. Being the oldest child, I was the one who first made my parents new grand parents and on August 28, 1989 Cherrish Rene’ Bolena. My baby girl entered our awesome family. I remember holding her for the first time, I remember bending down and smelling her, she looked like a china doll; Cherrish has been beautiful from day one. Funny thing is, I named her after my sister Rhonda, and now Rhonda has named one of her new twins after Cherrish. ‘Lillyann Cherrish’ then I ended up with two more beautiful boys, Chandler and Colton, Rhonda has now had 7 children, my Brother Carlton has three and my Little Sister Rana has 2, we have a another Brother Robbie and he has two as well. So out of all of us kids, our parents are grandparents to 17 grandchildren, 7 dogs, and 3 cats.
Little did we know that God was only preparing all of us for the future as we would see many more trying times as a family? Just as we had some rough patches we also had some great minutes. Being the oldest child, I was the one who first made my parents new grand parents and on August 28, 1989 Cherrish Rene’ Bolena. My baby girl entered our awesome family. I remember holding her for the first time, I remember bending down and smelling her, she looked like a china doll; Cherrish has been beautiful from day one. Funny thing is, I named her after my sister Rhonda, and now Rhonda has named one of her new twins after Cherrish. ‘Lillyann Cherrish’ then I ended up with two more beautiful boys, Chandler and Colton, Rhonda has now had 7 children, my Brother Carlton has three and my Little Sister Rana has 2, we have a another Brother Robbie and he has two as well. So out of all of us kids, our parents are grandparents to 17 grandchildren, 7 dogs, and 3 cats.
Today I am heading up to visit my Sister Rhonda, and see the newest additions to our family. I am pretty excited as I love my family, even though they stay mad at me. You see, I am very eccentric and I live by my own rules and this dives the rest of my family crazy sometimes. I’m a free spirit, with my own voice and it is a loud voice as many of you may know. I am very passionate about my writing with an in your face type of style of my books and my blogs, and even when I get to speak. I get that from mom, even though she would deny it, mom is and has always been a very in your face style of a mother. My mom lives at the foot of the cross, and so does Rhonda, they are the same person in two different body’s.
Donnie Sister Rhonda Black Smith
I truly do believe that Jesus calls them before has allows it to rain? I can hear that phone call now “” Ring, Ring, (Mom Answers) Sharon Holt’, ( Jesus Starts Talking) Hey Sharon its Jesus, (mom) Hi Jesus I was just thanking you for all that you have done for me and my family, you are so wonderful and I love you so much. (Jesus) well thank youSharon
I truly do believe that Jesus calls them before has allows it to rain? I can hear that phone call now “” Ring, Ring, (Mom Answers) Sharon Holt’, ( Jesus Starts Talking) Hey Sharon its Jesus, (mom) Hi Jesus I was just thanking you for all that you have done for me and my family, you are so wonderful and I love you so much. (Jesus) well thank you
Man I do not know what I would do with out my family; I sure would be sad, lost and lonely. I am so glad for the positive influence that my family has on my children. I can remember taking my Kids to school, we had the red jeep, and the muffler had fallen off of it, and it sounded like a loud obnoxious drag race car coming down the street. Well my poor kids all went to the same elementary school, and they inherited the ADD, ADHD, AND ABCDEFG , from yours truly. The single mothers loved me; they thought I was the greatest dad, because I was always at the school, they had no idea I was always in the principles office, however they did not know Chandler the menace, my middle son who is the poster child for middle child syndrome and ADHD.
His attention span
has to be a world record, hitting at less then 3 seconds on any given
conversation. O’ and the Teachers, I can here them now. The Principle can hear
us coming from about 3 miles out rolling down Argyle Boulevard
However, I am very
proud of my awesome Children and my entire family; my parents did a great job,
and we are beautiful people both inside and out. We are very bonded and very
involved in each others lives, even if may not seem that way at times, someone
is always watching from afar. Time is so precious and so short; the truth is
the years are getting shorter as I get older. I have learned that we change as
we grow into adults; we become very set in our ways. Some of us have chips on
our shoulders and some of us are like ducks and things just roll right off of
us like water, and some of us maybe most of us are somewhere in the middle of
the two. I miss being a little kid in growing up at my house, I miss my little
brother begging me to play basketball with him in my front yard, that went from
letting him beat me, to him spotting me 10 points in 21 just so I would play
him. He was a star basketball player in High school and helped lead his team to
their first ever district title.
I miss my times with Rhonda, she is still my dearest friend in the world she and I hold a natural bond. Rhonda has helped raise my Children, and has been a very big influence on them for the
I often reminisce
of growing up in my home; we are most certainly resilient and battle tested. Sometime
when I am traveling or I have had time to just slow down and think, I catch my
self remembering back to being a little boy. I miss that little guy you know, I
miss that life. I was always full of life as a kid, and I am now. But it’s just
different, because my past has a lot of sadness and failures in also. So If I
can encourage you to get something from this blog of Friday, August 03, 2012. I
want you to remember the good times with your family, take a minute and think
back, look at where you are today and ask yourself, how did I get her? I will
say this, time has flown by, and it has most certainly been a mighty bumpy
ride, but with the life lessons, the heartache, the hardship, the laughter, the
good times, the pain, the feel good moments, the hugs, and the kisses, I would
say that it has been a great ride, we must remember that when the storm clouds
gather is when we hold our heads high and walk our side and give our best
waltz, in the pouring down rain and we keep smiling through the pain, laughing
through the heartache, and crying when were happy. Time will not slow down,
however we will, and with time things will heal, and things will change. So
hold the ones dear to you close, and if you are mad at each other, well then be
the bigger person and make it right, apologize and ask for forgiveness Colossians
3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against
one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Make things right before it’s to late, because when it’s all said and
done, we all will one day, run out of time ~ Donnie Bolena
