How Lucky Are We

I was reminded by a comment Salene left in the 'Update on Ronny' post. She said:

"we are the luckiest family i know. very fortunate and protected."

That statement is, pardon the pun, dead-on.

We are truly the most fortunate family I know. There are over 100 of us, and we defy the percentages that say we should have been hit with tragedy at least dozens of times. The population of California, the US, and the world sees heartache more than we do-- by far.

Though we have lost loved ones, they left us with indelible marks of love, respect, and an assurance in their goodness. By whatever means-- Gramma Connie's prayers and God's protection, knowledge to take caution and care, or by pure chance and happenstance-- we have been proven fortunate.

Just in case you needed a story to accompany this, here's a little tidbit on one of us who happens to walk in the shadow of angels...

• Ronny is more lucky than we realize.

• When he was an adult for nary a couple years, he drove to work at 3am from Lompoc to the UPS center in Goleta. One morning, Ronny, tired from the odd hours, dozed off and fell asleep at the wheel. Word is he woke up on a stretcher, after his car overturned, and with Ronny thrown from the car.

• A few years later, when Ronny was working for a tree-trimming company, a bad combination of chain-saws, branches, and height caused him to fall. As his brother Matt tells it, he fell from the tree, onto the roof of the house. And then from the roof of the two-story house onto the ground below.

• As we know, Ronny was stabbed three times in an unprovoked attack just a few weeks ago.

• After all this, he is otherwise healthy. No lost limbs, he walks, and there's not much left besides a few scars to serve as a reminder.

I'd say we're lucky. And some of us are more luck than others.

What Can Brown Do For Us?

The question asked in the poll was how many cousins have worked for UPS. Though there were only 3 votes, you can see where the thinking is. Most people can name a few, but not more than a half-dozen people. Whether the experiences are good, bad, or just a blip on the resume, UPS has employed far too many of our family members.... just kidding.

So here's how the voting came up:

2 people think that 4-6 cousins have worked for UPS

1 person thinks that 7-9 cousins have worked for UPS


And here is the list I have... 9 cousins in all:

- Renee Jaimes: Counter/Office Clerk (still with UPS)

- Lizzy Cook: Counter Clerk (separation due to injury)

- Trina Garcia: Data Clerk (still with UPS)

- Ronny Hernandez: AM Handler (voluntary separation)

- David Esparza: Supervisor (voluntary separation)

- Matt Hernandez: Data Clerk (still with UPS)

- Robert 'Bosco' Cook: PM Handler (voluntary separation)

- Ray Aspuria: Package Driver (cousins by marriage are still cousins; still with UPS)

- Chris Jaimes: Feeder Driver (cousins by marriage are still cousins; still with UPS)


So that's 9 I have. Not to mention all those other people we're related to, and those people who the family knows from way back when. And those we're connected to for weird reasons: like how Dolly dated a guy who's dad dated Gramma Connie, and both guys are related to a guy who works for UPS.

Either our family is too big, or this town is too small. Because this shows that you can't even get a job without bumping into someone you're related to.

Congrats to the person who voted in the '7-9 Cousins' option.

Poll: Working for UPS

In case y'all hadn't noticed, there is a poll on the right.

The newest poll asks how many of our cousins have worked for UPS. You might think this is easy, and can probably name a couple of people right off the bat. I thought the same thing.

Truth be told, it's not that easy. There are too many people to go through. Seriously. I counted 517 people in our family, just from Gramma and Grampa alone.

Hahahahahaha..... just kidding!

There's actually about 105 or so. That includes the Uncles and Aunties, Cousins, and the in-laws (married only). Trying to go down that list and figure out who worked for UPS at one time or another ain't easy. It took me a while, but I've got the answer.

When the poll closes at the end of the month, I'll give you the answer, and the list of people who worked for Big Brown at some point.