No, not THOSE roots ( although they were recently touched up:) ), my family roots! I was looking at pictures of grandparents today and realized I come from a VERY varied background. I won't say which side each grandparent came from but I will tell you this; One grandparent lived a life of privilege, traveled to exotic places, was cared for by everyone except her parents and LOVED to have her picture taken. One grandparent slept under a poplar tree and hopped the trains looking for work during the great depression. One came from a family of Tennessee share-croppers, and had a father who was a quack..as in fake doctor. One had hollywood good looks, another loved to dance the hula. One helped build the Hoover Dam, another has pictures of SS meetings in a war album. Three of them were married more than once. One was a telephone operator, a seamstress and a preschool teacher. Another didn't ever have a paying job that I am aware of. One did not learn to drive until well into her 50's. One had only 2 daughters, one lost 2 sons. One never let go of saying "mum". One hummed and bounced all around the house. One made outstanding homemade BAKED macaroni and cheese. Another served us something called "bangers" one time...I remember they looked white and they tasted gross. One taught me to value an encyclopedia and learning how to find answers to questions I had. Another taught me to value my ancestry. Two taught me that life isn't perfect, but you go on anyways.
In any case, each had a unique personality and unique life experiences. Thinking about each of them, and their unique lives puts alot of confusion about who I am in perspective. Its no wonder that I am sometimes perplexed by incongruent personality traits, look at what I'm drawing on!
Goodbye Chef Tess. We Miss You Already.
5 months ago
