This week
we are being asked to assume that the infrastructure of our country has been
completely devastated and that my immediate family and myself are being
relocated to another country very different from my own. Each person is being
allowed to take one change of clothing and three small personal items.
I would
already have the first item with me, as it is a long necklace with a pewter
heart that I wear every day. Sealed within the heart are ashes of my Mom. The
second item would be a photo that again, I always have with me. This photo was
taken at a reunion a year before my Mom passed and is of my whole immediate
family (I have photo shopped in a photo of my Grand Daughter that was born a
year later). The third item would be my phone. As silly as that may sound my
phone holds 4,000 photos of family and friends along with information and it
gives me the ability to contact family. For this scenario I am assuming that I
will be able to have service available to me in the new country that we are
being sent to.
I think
my description of the items gives the reader a fairly good idea what these
items means to me. If there is any doubt I can tell you that my Children, and
Grand Children, Siblings (all immediate family) are the air that I breathe. I
recently read a quote that goes something like “If I were asked to chose
between breathing and my children, I would use my last breath to say I love
you.” (Unknown).
If I were
told upon arrival that I could only keep one item it would be my Mom. I would
be grateful that my family was with me and we could take more pictures. I am
also taking the liberty to pretend that this new country would allow me the
time to transfer information to one of my children’s phones, as I am certain
that their phone would be the one item that they would keep. All of my old
family photos would still be preserved. We would work together so that each of
us had our most treasured item. That’s just how we roll.
Many
have described me, as an old soul and that I must have gypsy blood running
through me. I am flattered by what I consider to be a compliment and I concur.
I am a self-sufficient person with a touch of MacGyver in my old soul. As long
as I have my family I am able to make a home. I have lived through some pretty
tough circumstances, but everywhere I have lived has been a loving home. I have
no doubt that my family would not only survive but we would find a way to
flourish because we would be together and taking care of each other is what we
do. My family culture is one of honor, trusting your intuition and doing the right thing.
Jenn Pore`
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I am sorry to hear about your mom. I think that this assignment allowed others to see deeply into our lives. We shared moments and information that is personal to us. I chose family pictures as well for one of my three items. I strongly believe in family and we have a strong bond with each other. We have our moments of bickering, but we are always there for each other no matter what. Those are our family values and we were brought up to be there for one another no matter what the situation is. You sound like an awesome person with great values!
Hi I too am very close to my family not just the immediate but also the extended, so I also chose to have a picture of my family as one of my items. I also liked how you said you all would work together to ensure that everyone had what was sacred to them in each person's one item, that is truly working together as family.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to your phone, as my Ipad is priceless to me as well. I keep pictures and info on there that's very important. I additionally agree with pictures being important as well. As I get older and my life changes and loved ones disappear, sometimes pictures is all you have.
ReplyDeleteWe definitely have a common love for the special quality only a picture can capture, and also the love for sharing that with family. The re-telling of stories by memory are only enhanced with the addition of photos, just like illustrations in a book. Eyes widen as everyone's attention turns to the pictures taken and the story each one has.
ReplyDelete