Blogtember: Describe Where You Came From

Meaghan and Chelsea are doing Blogtember. I was not in the least bit tempted to do this.  Blogging every day in July was fun but definitively a once-every-few-years thing.  However, as I am reading their posts, and as I read through the list, I decided 1) I like these posts much better on the whole and 2) I am in charge of my own blog.  I am not going to "commit" to this in the same way I committed to the other.  I may not do everyone.  I certainly won't do them every day, in fact I think mine is going to be Blogtemtober.  I'd like to be finished with it by the end of October.  And I'd like to be able to still post about other stuff without posting more than once a day.  So I will be dabbling in it.

Day 1 - Describe Where You Came From (argh - ending with a preposition!)

I come from my mother.  She comes from no-nonsense, suck it up, and do the best job you possibly can.  She comes from her mother - a outdoors woman, whose love of life, literature, and writing was part of her soul.  She comes from her father, whose level-headed approach to life gave wings to her confidence.

I come from my father.  He comes from hard-nosed, church-going, strong family folk.  He comes from his mother and the women behind her - a loving but firm woman who raised three boys on her own and made the best pot roast around.  I don't think he comes much from his father.

I come from the home of my childhood - from creaky boards, stained carpets, old bookshelves with books stacked two rows deep.  I come from the cubby hole bed in my room with the window facing west and the nice AC in the summer (because my room was the AC's first stop).  I come from public education, teachers, lunchrooms, playgrounds, art fairs, back-to-school nights, hot lunches, recess, BookIt, and libraries.

I come from the church culture of my youth - from swim parties and fake weddings, from Super Summer and InDepth, from small groups and prayer groups, from Bible studies and discipleship.  I come from watching people make mistakes, making them myself, and needing grace and mercy, and hands to pull me back up again.

I come from girl-dom - from insecurities and fear that I would never be pretty enough, or skinny enough, or funny enough, or cool enough, or fashionable enough.  I come from long talks, some in anger, some in pain, some in joy.  I come from laughter and the pleasure of shared-ness.

I come from marriage - from a man who loves me more than himself and teaches me every day what it means to be a servant.  From a relationship built on trust and God's promises.  From security and commitment.  From no-matter-what.

I come from friends.  I come from sisters and brothers.  I come from people with whom I do life.  I come from my husband, my son, my daughter.

I come from my Maker, the God of all things, and the Giver of all blessings.