All of our collective personalities are a direct reflection of our family histories. All the influences that impact our daily lives have been passed down through generations of our family tree.
When we look into each others eyes, we see the souls of our ancestors that have dotted themselves all through our lives. These beginnings carried with them the essentials of life.
Shelter... water... love... God... food...
We flip through the worn and stained edges of our family recipe books and papers for a glimpse to the past… the past that will lead our emotions into the future with our children and our families.
I remember the bustle of activity in my Great-grandmother’s home while she rolled tamales as aunts and mothers dashed around with giggling hearts following her every instruction. The sound of plates clinking in the background and water running in the sink stay with me…
I can feel the warmth of the desert sun spilling into the front window of my Grandmother and Grandfather’s home-place. Grandfather would be smiling in only the way he could smile. My Grandmother would be busy on the old cast-iron stove finishing his breakfast plate by adding a spoonful of his favorite watermelon rind preserves.
At meal time the air was always heavy with love. We gathered on stools, on chairs or on a mat… around tables in the kitchen or in the living room. All around were the sounds of life. I close my eyes to try and fill in the details. I only wish I would have slowed to allow myself to collect the portion of time I search for…
Shannon R Killman
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