This is Me

My friend from Africa wrote one of these and it was beautiful. I wanted to try my hand at it. (Thanks Beth!)

I am from Red Bud Drive and Friday night sleepovers at grandmothers, from playing tic tac toe and painting finger nails. I am from jungle camp, Mexico and High Plane Lane.

I am from 4 years of being absent and disconnected from my homeland to returning and loving the journey, only to repeat it all over again. I am from tears all of the way across the Atlantic Ocean to joys in the Indian Ocean; I am from "Good-Bye".

I am from retreats on a lake and an ocean, train rides through the plains ridden with wild creatures lurking in the darkness, waterholes that bellow in the night. I am from wondrous smells of the early morning, sipping on a cup of piping hot, sweet chai and listening to the calls of the wild. I am from buffalo chases and elephant warnings, giggling as we speed away.

I am from a faith deeply grafted into my soul. I am from a dad's early morning devotions and a mom's welcomed hug every day, an acceptance that never fails. I am from affirmation and support, from unconditional love, from church buildings and evangelism at the park. I am from miracles and I am from faith, I am from a blessed place.

I am from Sunday night popcorn in asparagus soup, nights of Mexican pili-pili delicacies and game nights. I
am from telephoning back in time to wish a Merry Christmas to family after I have already had one. I am from house girls who love and house boys that steal.

I am from matatus and "It's just over the hill," to two hours later. I am from a people that are not concerned with time, a society that runs at its own pace.

I am from mandazis and chapatis to casava and ugali, I am from Madaraka with maize roasting on a street side grill with chili pepper and lime; I am from angels and robbers.

I am from compounds and big iron gates, from guards that sleep to windows crashing in danger and phone wires cut. I am from a night of barking dogs that causes fear to rage. I am from fog horns that alert in the night and from a family running scared; a protected family.

I am from 2 organizations that meld into one at school, from kick the can to peppermint tea, sardines and camp outs to early morning carpool on bumpy, red dirt roads, from collecting hedge hogs and flipping off of the bars, mass choir and avocado trees. I am also from Swala dorm and roommates that sing and dance for fun, weekends with my parents who bring Chooze and Chevda, video nights and Caring Community, cold mornings and stoking the fire, fudge in the kitchen and community showers. I am from heart break and hawks that swoop for my lunch.

I am from a family who left behind a brother for the purpose of healing, a sadness that no words can describe, a mourning that lasted for a night, a joy that came in the morning; reunited.

I come from the land of seasons that do not match my own. Rainy and dry seasons that sometimes are always dry, from flowers that never seem to die and from desert sands where hyenas laugh in the night.

I am from glass bottled, warm cokes to smelly sausage and bread that never lasts and milk from the mountains that is sweet to my tongue, from meat hanging in the sun, coated in flies with a sign that says "No spitting allowed." I am from blue dukas full of African treasures that beckon tourist.

I am from 3 colleges in 2 states, from studying with friends and launching pumpkins out of the window. I am from being thrown in the air to landing in the hospital. I am from loving 3 children as if they were my own, to a heart breaking good-bye; reconnected.

I am from a noisy home of laughter and whining, where the inhabitants are forever entwined in a circle of love.

I am from cries in the night, cuddles and kisses with prayers for good dreams. I am from clean and messy, from excitement and deep sadness. I am from teaching my kids to read and write, to do math and know their history and science. I am from 4. I am from them.

I am from the love of a man, from one that cherishes and cares for me, one that I can never live without. WE are from whimsical plans, fun loving moments, dashed dreams, from difficult decisions to heartbreaking news. Our hearts are one.

I am from Dixie Land first, the equator second, the frozen forgotten third, the Ozarks next and then a state all its own. East and West, North and South, they are all my home. I am the 'lady bug' always dreaming of the other side of the ocean.

This is me.