Family-Run Businesses

Out of all of the times I've worked for either my family or someone else's family, I've compared those kinds of businesses to the non-family run businesses that I've worked for. And I've noticed that not only the employees, but also the bosses are a lot nicer & more understanding at businesses that are family-run. Not only did my family start a worker's compensation company (Cypress Care), but they managed to turn the business into a multi-million dollar company within just 5 years of starting the business. But ever since the business was sold to someone else, my family has gotten treated like dirt & that hurts me. Too many people think that money means power. When in reality, the more authority someone has, the better of an example they should be setting. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd rather have less money & nice c0-workers & bosses than to have more money & risk working with & for people who act like jerks.

If I didn't have such a loving family

What would my life be like? How naturally nice & loving would I be? When I meet a person who is mean spirited, rude or just doesn't care, then that kind of behavior tells me that those people didn't come from a very good family. Over the years, I've realized that people who come from loving & caring families end up being loving & caring people. Fortunately for me, a lot of my relatives are naturally loving & caring towards people. While other people prefer to turn to things like alcohol & smoking as an anti-depressent, I prefer to use better sense & go to one of my relatives. I'm very thankful & fortunate that I come from such a loving family.

A beautiful tribute to a lost loved one

The following tribute was written by my oldest niece Brianna as a tribute to who would have been her future stepmom.

Becki Lynn Ryan - In My Point Of View


What’s not to love about her? I think I would have to try pretty hard to figure it out. My favorite thing about her was…..she was always so happy, and she made you smile. She made me feel good about who I was. Me being a girl…I would insult myself a lot. For example I would say “My hair looks awful” or “Ugh this shirt makes me look fat”. You would bet Becki would be there to tell me I looked awesome. To me she wasn’t really my dad’s girlfriend……she was more like my big sister. Helping me with my hair, teaching me how to use makeup, or if I needed some spare shorts. She was there. One thing I loved about her was, she made my dad happy. After my parents got divorced I just wanted to see them happy again. When my dad found Becki, I am pretty sure the whole world knew my dad was happy again. Everybody loved her so much. She was such a bright person. And all of us know she shined. I am going to miss having to stop by Star-Bucks just for her coffee she so very desperately needed, our “emergency” shopping sprees to Abercrombie, our hours of getting ready together, and so much more. Oh and “Here Now”. As annoying as that could get…..I am going to miss that so much. When we were in St.Barth she heard someone saying “her word” and she went crazy. She kept saying “That’s my word! They cant say that!” She had her moments. Then there was her support. Her amount of support towards me was through the roof. When it came to me and everything I did with my singing she thought I was the most talented person in the world. I think Becki is the reason my confidence is so good now. She was excited about everything. Every vacation, every event, every day we went shopping, every time we saw a new movie, every time we met a new person, or even when we would just go out to eat. She wasn’t afraid to speak up, either. If she didn’t like something….you would know sooner or later! She was so outgoing, to. She could meet somebody for the first time, and five or ten minutes later, she was talking their ear off. Not everyone gets someone that special in their life, and we got lucky. She was a heart-warming person, who is in a good place now. She was the right girl for my dad, and they deserved each-other. I didn’t want her to leave…..none of us did. But it is life….and she is in God’s good care now. Becki became an important person in my life, along with many many other people. I’ll miss everything about her, and some of the things are so special that me and her had……I cant even list them…I sure would be here awhile. Just know Becki is not totally gone…she is watching over all of us…smiling. She will always be in out hearts. We all miss her with great love.