Who Are You Deep Inside?

Several years have passed since I’ve been able to go home.

Not the one I sleep in every night with my family. I’m talking about the one I came home from the hospital to, and got on the school bus in front of, and ate my mother’s home cookin’ inside. And yes, it is cookin’ in the South. Her fried chicken alone is a memory that will last forever.

As I walked across the front porch, the little wooden swing was long gone, but the concrete steps and painted railings welcomed me. Inside, sturdy hardwood floors spoke up with the same creaks I’d come to know sneaking in late at night. My old bedroom that once gyrated to my 80’s music, where the walls muffled hundreds of phone calls to friends, still stood as if waiting for me to return to its safety.

What made the house special was so much more than the wood, brick, and stone my parents designed and built on land that came through my paternal grandparent’s farm. It stands for legacy. We all have a legacy. The lineage of family. The people who made you – you. Biology is half of who we are, while environment is the other. Seven generations before and after each one of us house the mystery of our unique selves and the future selves that continue on long after we finish our residence here on Earth.

Memories of our moments growing up are gifts we have of our caretakers and loved ones that linger deep inside. Mine come out in my cooking, gardening, raising children, grandchildren, and even the chickens I tend each day. Beyond my parents, I fondly recall the days of my grandmother singing to me and feeding me my favorite hot meals. She made me feel safe, and unconditionally loved. Her passion and outspoken convictions remind me now of the strength of the women before me.

I may not do her justice, but her memory is transferred to those who carry on beyond her and beyond me. The house of my youth is a wonderful reflection of years of life and growth that are not in vain, even after it is long gone.

Whenever you find yourself questioning the value of your everyday efforts, please remember the big picture. While we are busy tending the details of our lives, we build that legacy. It is never too late to share the best of ourselves and tell our story.

We all have a story. Who will you share yours with?