Vega Holland

I remember things being so great when I was around eight or nine until I hit fifteen years old. Those were the best times of my life. It had to the beginning of 1992, yeah I recall very well, in fact my parents had just gotten married in Reno Nevada, all my aunts and uncles had gone down there with my parents for the ceremony and to celebrate their honey moon in the casinos for three days, so all of the older sisters brothers and cousins had to watch over us younger ones, and they didn’t care what we did as long as we stayed out of their hair and didn’t get into too much trouble. Life was good all we had to worry about was being kids. We all lived in Vancouver Washington back then which is only a ten minute drive at the most from Portland Oregon, were the majority of my family was born and raised. I was a curious child; I had asked my mother once why we moved from Portland if that’s where we all came from? She said, “I was born in Kansas City Missouri, along with all my other thirteen sisters and brothers. Momma and daddy moved us up north to Oregon, when I was about sixteen. Then momma said Portland  was too bad and ungodly so she moved over the green bridge to Washington, and we all followed her and that’s the best thing we could have did, cause now all our kids can live better than we did.” Yep sound just like my grandmother Mildred al-right! My grandma, she was a strong, loving but strict woman of God, a leader too. Everyone followed her. She led all her children and her grandchildren to the Lord, Jesus Christ. She had fourteen children of her own, so you can imagine how large in numbers my family is, I mean, my mother had eight so we had enough family to start a church, and that’s exactly what we did. Serving the Lord was a major part of my childhood and the family was very close knit because of it. After the death of one of my older brothers Deshawn back in December of 1998, some of the family seemed to shift away from one another, especially being that it is said that there was a possibility that his death was set up by certain members from two different sides of the family, it was clear that there was a lot of jealousy and competition spreading between relatives so people pretty much stop trusting each other. My father was especially enraged and withdrawing from both sides of the family, it was his first born and his first son and the fact that it was family related was pure evil. That was fourteen years ago and I know my father hasn’t let the pain of what happened fade with passing time. My aunt Gwen passed along and soon after Grandma Mildred in 2010. Sometimes I think God took the love out this family after Grandma went into resting and cast out what was left and scattered us across the nation for all the sinfulness, hatred and rebellion, and if you ask me I say God the Father, is just in his doings.  I am now 28 years old, and the years 2012 and our once inseparable, caring family has deteriorated down to, “it’s all about me and mine … it’s everyman for himself!” I can’t even stand to be around those of them that behave like that, I seriously get ill. They say that I’m cold and aloof, detached and distant from the family and act as if I’m too good or better than them. Honestly? Who cares what they think anymore, some of them have done some downright …dirty sugar-honey-ice-tea, to each other! Like turning in a member of the family in for the cash reward, just because you’re broke? When things get that bad, yes! It is time to go forth without you!

Nowadays, I’m doing pretty darn well for myself. I’m a department manager of, Sax’s downtown on 5^th ave; I graduate in under a year with my BA in marketing and advertisement, with a guaranteed salary of $108 grand annually. No trifling babies daddy, or abusive, loser boyfriends- I am single-by-choice. I’m living life with no more regrets…… just me and my girls Von, Sandi and Carmen!

~ And loving it!