nyrisa
Posts: 1830
Joined: 11/20/2006
Status: offline
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I am from dirt roads and tall pines, from RC Cola and Zero bars, and summers that stretched forever.
I am from the ramshackle frame house, tiny, drafty in winter, stifling in summer, and the hurried walk across the path to the outhouse, always hoping a snake has not curled in the shadows of the little shack..
I am from the beaches washed with rolling azure waves, and the endangered sand dunes; the garden my mother lovingly tended until it yielded food to nourish the body, and a glory of flowers to fill the soul.
I am from summer afternoons swimming in the cold river, and warm afternoons seeking the delicate violets blooming wild in the grass of the forest, and the yearly family reunions where I met strangers who looked like me; and the generous spirit and warped sense of humor from my father, Oscar and the pride and grace of my mother, Lillian; and the loosely knit but staunchly loyal extended family.
I am from the love of laughter and debate, and the dark specter of alcoholism of my father's family, and love of food, and the almost surety of diabetes from my mother's family..
From "I see the moon, the moon sees me, God bless the moon, and God bless me", that left a small child studying the full moon in wonderment; and "stand straight and be proud, my long stemmed American Beauty rose!", whispered with a hug to a gawky, overly tall twelve year old girl.
I am from Southern Baptists, and poor country churches, afternoon light falling on worn hymnals, and Fifth Sunday dinners on the grounds, long tables groaning with food, beneath the big oak trees, and the excitement and privilege of finally being old enough to partake of the grape juice and stale cracker at the Lord's Supper.
I'm from south Alabama, Heart of Dixie; which in my lifetime has gone from White's Only water fountains and bathrooms, and "the South Will Rise Again!" , to the entire community joining together to send aid and prayers and comfort to people who were no longer "Yankees" and strangers, black or white, but our brothers and sisters, when the smoke of two towers darkened American skies; from forebears of Scots and Brits and Cherokees; from turnips with doughboys, and hog's head cheese, that my mother made each fall after the pigs were butchered. .
From the father who left his home as a boy in the Depression, to travel as a hobo on the rail line, seeking work where little was to be found, and being paid often in food, because money was short all over; the great great grandfather who was mourned as dead following his disappearance in the Civil War, only to be found living on in the children he fathered bigamously up North instead. and the two halves of the family rejoining after his death, uniting against all the odds.
I am from dusty boxes of tattered pictures, blurred faces smiling in black and white; from the carved ivory elephants, mementos of my brother's navy duty overseas; from names carved in granite on top of grassy hillsides, telling me that our time here is short and uncertain, but a joyous reunion lies only a heartbeat away.
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A true lady takes off her dignity with her clothes and does her whorish best. At other times you can be as modest and dignified as your persona requires. Robert Heinlein
The last thing I want to do is hurt you...but it is still on my list.
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"I am from...." - 
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