Where I am from

This was taken from a friend. Thank you Jilly!

It is mirrored after the poem by George Ella Lyons.

I am from tuna biscuits over mushroom soup, from fried treat and chocolate milk that always had more chocolate then milk.

I am from a little gray house with black shutters that have not changed in 20 years. Where the patio door always stayed open to listen to the birds and feel the wind whip through like a water on a hot summer day. Where everyone knew the name of their neighbor and asking for sugar was considered "polite". I am from window air conditioners and hot water in the sink every night after dinner. I am from a small bathroom that was fought over between three people and a father who teased you until you cried and a mother who stuck up for you like a best friend. I am from dirty looks when my mother made me mad and "wait until your father gets home". I am from a father who would tell you he was lost just to see you panic and a mother who would care for the neighborhood stray.

I am from the beautiful well kept garden of flowers cared for by my mothers hands and huge lilac bushes that smelled my grandmothers back yard like a sweet perfume each and every spring. I am from a large oak tree in the middle of the driveway and large gravel that dug into your skin everytime you fell off your bike. I am from a town where you could ride your bike for hours and never get lost and the "strange" car that pulled over was always someone you knew. I am from the town with very few children and a class that had 21 kids.

I am from Christmas music, cookies and eggnog every year while putting up the tree and a family full of more christmas spirit then anyone knew what to do with, from a mother who knew exactly what I needed. From a mother who stuck up for me even when I was wrong, whos kiss could take away every scar faster then you could breathe. From a mother who would curl up on the couch, I on the loveseat and who would watch the sunday night movie with me in our pajama's. From a father who truely made you feel like daddys little girl and would handle each and every fight if you asked him to. A father who would show you your heart as a child and cradle it as a teen. A father who would lie in bed with you and hold you when your heart was broken for the first time and want to kick his ass in the process. From a mother who would try and smack you and miss or break the blood vessels in her hand from doing so. I am parents who would know when you lied and when you told the truth. Never knowing exactly how they did it. I am from tonka trucks and barbie dolls who's hair was always cut exremely short. I am from cabbage patch kids and New kids on the block. I am from a group of three close girlfriends who really never got along and a car that was a green bomb.

I am from hot summer days sitting on the living room floor cheering on the Chicago cubs and fans blowing in your face because we did not have airconditioning. I am from dinners at the table and more food then you could eat on a sunday evening. I am from beef roasts cooking all day and carrots surrounding it like decoration. I am from green mouth wash in a beautiful clear glass bottle with a cork top and a bathroom sink that was always as clean as a crystal. I am from cluttered closets and unorganized drawers a trait that I learned from my mother. I am from a father who was more tidy then any of us in the house and who was a bear if you spilled even water on the carpet. I am from a hardworking family that worked for everything we had and one who taught you the meaning of a dime.

I am from a family where sticking together meant putting up with people you did not like and "If they hit you first you hit back". Where family time meant just that even if you wanted to be somewhere else. I am from "Eat what I cooked or don't eat at all" and hot dogs over the fire no matter what time of day.

I am from a family who believes in god but never went to church. "Going to a building" did not mean you were closer to heaven. Where praying was done in private and words were spoken in your head. That god does everything for a reason and you do not question it.

I am from the humid summers of Indiana and the blustery winters in December. I am from chubby Bohemians, sweet pork, dumplings and milk toast.

From the grasshoppers made by my grandmother at christmas time no matter how young you were and card playing that was always cheated through. I am from grandparents who threw bread at each other when mad and a grandfather who could eat every piece that was thrown as long as it had butter on it and Easter sundays walking down the bunny trail of suckers even if you were 20 years old.

I am from pictures in a box, first haircuts saved and stories that are told over and over again so you never forget their worth. I am from parents who are my best friends and family that never leaves you under even the worst circumstances.

I am now from the same small town, with the same people, a mother of two and parents who live just around the corner. I am from a similar small house only mine is gray with BLUE shutters and most of the same tendencies of motherhood that my mother had. I am from a home where I stay to raise the babies and keep them safe from harm. I am the heart of a writer, a singer, a reader, a learner and a woman who feels love and care for almost everyone she meets. I am the lover of the night and family. I am from a true heart that cares too much and recieves too little. I am from a soul that gives people the benefit of the doubt and is optimistic. I am also from a mind that does not take shit twice and can be quite mean when it is needed. I am the mother bird and noone messes with my babies.

I am me. Complicated and emotional. Protective and Moody. Loving and gentle. A reader of childrens books at night and wipperwills in the dark. I am from fireflies in a jar and camping during the summer. I am from the best family.