Consequences

When medical marijuana was legalized in Michigan, in 2008, it was my dad who bought the Cannabis Bible and started to teach me the trade. Though we’ve never grown more than a few small plants for ourselves, as legal Michigan patients, it is the most amazing thing in the world. The experience of growing cannabis is like developing a relationship with a pet of some sort. It’s a bonding experience.

Unfortunately, my siblings have each made the decision at separate times to disassociate with my parents and I. Their reasons are their own to explain. All I will say, I feel horrible for the pain and burden my mother carries; because, the consequences of their disassociation was not on her yet she carries the largest grief for the situation.

What are the consequences of raising children around cannabis? During an interview, with someone whom has become a friend, she shared an Israeli proverb. A notorious criminal has two sons. One son is successful the other a criminal. A rabbi goes to the first brother and asks ‘why are you successful’ his reply ‘don’t you know who my father is?’ The rabbi then asks the second brother ‘why are you a criminal’ and again the same reply ‘don’t you know who my father is?’

For me that proverb was the beginning of a friendship, a sign, and it explained a lot about my siblings. While they may claim marijuana is the reason they disassociate; I believe it is simply a fact of life that most people leave their parents and past behind and few remember to respect elders.

As a family, we held special traditions like going to church on Christmas Eve and each summer my parents would pack us up and we would head to northern Michigan. We toured all sorts of Michigan parks; from the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes to the many waterfalls of the Upper Peninsula. Memories all of us will forever treasure. Though, the one place which holds the most memories is the lake we camped at every year.

The last time I was there was for my uncle’s funeral. There was still snow and slush on the ground but with we decided to drive out to the camp ground. I’ll never forget standing a few feet behind my father as he looked out over the lake. A single large beautiful Falcon flew over the lake as if to say a new season had arrived. There is a second lake, a beach spot, which was always my favorite. My aunt is currently working on a project to restore that beach.

Though the area may have held some unhappy memories from my father’s childhood; he ensured his children had the best experiences and memories from those same old family stomping grounds in Northern Michigan. The consequences of love are memories that will never disappear.

Every choice in life has a consequence. We can’t live through a day without facing both positive and negative consequences. Our consequences make us.