markie d: : THE APOCALYPSE

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

THE APOCALYPSE

THE APOCALYPSE

Warfare.

Every year before my first day of class I had a reputation that preceded me and this year was no different.

I was the enemy.

With my golden hair neatly plastered with my dad’s frugal concoction of sugar-water, I arrived in patched hand-me-downs and a uniform sweater “borrowed” from the lost and found. As usual I was wearing smelly socks scavenged from the floor of Flea-Bait’s room and three Band-Aids on my forehead covering my latest battle wounds. What made me stick out more than all that was the bright red nose which was still recovering from the sunburn that I got at Salton Sea a couple weeks ago. The only bright spot in my last minute transfer across the hall to Sister Lucilla’s class was my brand new PF Flyers. My parents gave them to me as a bribe. Handing me the shoes, mom said I could not mention anything about our Salton Sea vacation to another living soul.

Excerpt from my fictionalized memoir: Markie D - Monkey in the Attic.

My Thoughts. I always thought I was weird for being afraid of the dark and as though I just didn't fit in with my motley crew. My family had left me behind at Salton Sea and for a little kid of 9 years old it was a pretty traumatic event. We all just laughed it off later (I pretended well), but in reality it did wound the psyche of a small kid trying to find his fit in the world. I felt like one of those nervous rats that had to walk around the edge of the room with its whiskers touching the wall.

Am I alone out there? Is there anyone else that felt like me? Scared? Nervous? Hurt? Disconnected? Unloved? Lost? It was hard for me to image any another human being in the entire world to have self-esteem as low as me. I want to share some of my crazy childhood stories with you knowing that you have a story to share too. Share your childhood memories, comment below.

5 comments:

Coman722April 23, 2013 at 9:08 PM
Yeah, my childhood was pretty messed up. My neighbor made me work on his roof one summer, in the heat, and it was scary. I would rather sit behind a computer all day as apposed to work.
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Markie dApril 24, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Coman722, one thing that I was very thankful for.. despite all the dysfunction in my family, was the fact that we were brought up to believe that a little work would never kill anyone. The best thing that probably happened to you in a long time was getting out from behind that computer and sweating on your neighbor's roof. Life is not fair and life can be very difficult. Press on my friend and get out and get some sunshine, pull some weeds (in the words of Bob Dylan) "serve somebody." Wax on - Wax off grasshopper!
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UnknownApril 25, 2013 at 10:33 AM
Mark, I can remember that scared feeling. When I was 6 years old we lived in Long Island and had a basement that had been finished as a game room with a bathroom and when my mom would get locked out of the house (which was frequently) she would send me down in through the window of the bathroom to unlock the front door. I would race out the bathroom door into the dark game room up the stairs to the front door like I was being chased by a monster.
What is really odd, I can walk through my home with all the lights off and not hit a thing. My husband thinks I am so weird.......
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Markie dApril 25, 2013 at 11:15 AM
Tami, we had side steps down to our carport where the washer and dryer were. Those steps took you down through a dark unfinished basement. I always felt like something (a monster of sorts) was going to reach through the stairs and grab my ankles and drag me into the darkness. I always rationalized my fear that because none of our doors had locks that worked that a brother or some stranger might be waiting in ambush. (but my real fear of what-ever-it-was that was lurking in the dark - some unknown - unseen force that lived in those dark places.) I hated to go into the attic third floor when the lights were off and after turning them off I would walk - pretending to be calm then run to turn the corner to the stairs leading down to the second story.
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No Other Family Like Ours - seriously

WHAT OTHER FAMILY IN THE WORLD let all of the monkeys out of the Zoo, been pranked by the sitting President of the United States in a rouge encounter, chased in cities, chased out of cities and chased down by the cops. Who in their right mind voluntarily electrocute themselves just for fun and dared to electrify the nuns around the corner—who neither volunteered nor had fun? WHAT OTHER FAMILY has had more broken bones, pulled more pranks, have had a plethora of runaway rattlesnakes and other large reptiles terrorize their neighborhood. WHAT OTHER FAMILY grew Mexican Tomato plants that never grew tomatoes and had leaky boats that refuse to float or Escaped death more times? Who had cars on blocks, trucks as trash barges and flowerbeds sprouting rusted bikes, mislaid sparkplugs and abandoned carburetors instead of flowers? Meet the DAHLINS

And to think we survived and came out normal—well, mostly.

The Truimph of Overcoming

I use the word dysfunction with deliberate intention and with great respect in serving the main point of this blog. In the wild ramblings of a kid I ruminate on the idea that my family was not just dysfunctional but was the “most dysfunctional family” on the planet—that’s the set up.

As I look to the other “normal” plain-wrap families next door and across the street that had tidy yards and flowerbeds believing that the grass is greener on the other side (well the grass was greener), it shouldn’t shock anyone to realize that there is dysfunction in all of us—often times masked by tidy lawns and clean exteriors. Along with joy, success and adventure, life is filled with disappointment, failure, pain, and betrayal from those who have let us down. This is what it means to be human. I admit that I faced some disappointment in trying to fit in and longed for acceptance as the youngest boy of our wolf pack, but in large part I can honestly say that I had more fun and more adventure, in what I would call a happy childhood—despite the numerous broken bones. Yet, I would be remiss if I did not brag a bit and say, “Yeah, but...Look at all the great stories.”

Though, I dig deep into the mind and explore the full range of emotions of this young kid who felt detached, wondered about his existence, about his place in the family and his connection to the universe—He came out okay.

The older Markie D loves his brothers and sisters and holds no grudges.

Markie D has found this elusive connection to the universe and is well adjusted—and yes, still a little bit crazy. He has been married for 34 years to an amazing artist, Kerry, and has four incredibly gifted and talented adult children.

Oh, BTW… He mows his lawn, parks a car in the garage and has flowers in the flowerbeds and desires boats that float and less adventure in every outing and more "plain-wrap."

May you find your connection to the universe that brings healing, wholeness, forgiveness and a sense of hope as you look to your future.

Not too long ago on a pale blue dot, third from the sun, people and events converged in the space/time continuum that would forever change the course of history. The setting is a huge Victorian home that slightly leaned on its crumbling foundation, groaning under the weight of unruly kids and hoards of junk. In the era of Ozzie and Harriet and Father’s Knows Best, I was born into a family dysfunction of epic proportions. This decrepit masterpiece in Venice would rival the Addams Family’s house, and the cast of characters would prove to be more incredible and wacky than The Munsters. The big problem was that I was the seventh born, the youngest boy and the runt of the litter.

To have 10 in a family in our catholic neighborhood was underachieving. To compete with the larger families, my mom gladly took in strays. The official-nonofficial count was more in the neighborhood of 14 ―mostly boys and all older than me.

All sibling rivalry and mischief flowed downhill and ended up on my platter, whether I had any say in the matter or not. For fun, we held on to the live wires that were left hanging out of a wall from a unfinished remodel. We were the only family I knew who voluntarily electrocuted themselves with 110 volt household current, and are the only family in the history of the world to single-handedly let all of the monkeys out of the LA zoo. We got chased out of cities; pursued by the Highway Patrol; and sought after by the entire Needles California Police force. Wherever we went, we made a spectacular splash which usually ended up on the front page of the local newspaper.

After being buried in pits, caged, hunted, left behind and electrocuted, I somehow managed to survive my childhood but felt numb, disconnected and alone although part of a big family. In college while searching for acceptance and connection, I experienced an event that would alter the course of my life. I graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Communications. I coached water polo and swimming at Saint Monica’s my High School Alma Mater and enjoyed major success in investment real estate. After a financial crisis, I committed myself to serving in ministry, working with Youth and Family, as an associate pastor of a large church in Southern California. I graduated with a Masters at the top of my class from Azusa Pacific Graduate School of Theology and was ordained a licensed Pastor.

I am married to an avid artist and have four children: three boys and a girl who takes after her mother’s creativity.

Currently, I am a senior Pastor of a church in Roseville, CA, and adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies at a Bible college, and live in Sacramento with my wife and daughter.

markie d:

'72 swim team

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

THE APOCALYPSE

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A little about Me