Where I'm From

A couple of weeks ago the oldest son came by looking for my opinion and assistance on a poem he was writing for a class project. You can see his masterpiece, which received a 10/10 and the teacher called intriguing, here.  

We had a fun hour talking about his childhood and some of our family stories.  When he left he challenged me to write a similar poem and sent me the template to follow.  

It took me a while to get around to it, but here is my version of 

Where I am From

I am from mountains,

picture from here

from McCalls 

and North American Decoys.

I am from the house on the hill -

Spacious, wide-open,

it felt as though all I could see belonged to me.

I am from the weeping willow,

the prickly pear cactus,

long, strong, encircling arms and sharp, pointy thorns.

I'm from the faithful and frugal,

from Byron's flock 

and Maureen's garden.

I'm from a thousand words

and the cut it ups and put it back togethers,

from "families are forever"

and "because I said so".

I'm from We believe ... -

second witnesses, living prophets and binding temple covenants.

picture from here

I'm from Heber City and England,

from bottled fruit and dry ice root beer bubbling in an old milk can.

me, with the pony tail, and my cousins Deanna and Bonnie.

From the frosted glass over grandpa's right eye, sight lost to a flipper rock,

my nephew Brian and Grandpa Cheever

from the service Mary Ann was rendering the morning of her much needed rescue from Martin's Cove.

Treasures packed into published books, 

three-ring binders,
plastic tubs, 

salvaged envelopes and 

cast off shoe boxes.

Names, dates and places,

little known facts and much loved faces -

I'm the cute little sister

all links bound together in an unbreakable chain of belonging.

Today I am grateful for

a wonderful fast and testimony meeting where I felt the spirit.
coincidences that make me wonder if they're coincidences.
anchor points - undeniable spiritual experiences that help get me through the hard times.
a son who motivated me to be creative.  It was fun.  

If you would like to try your hand at writing a Where I'm From poem let me know and I will send you the template.