My Roots

One gave birth to me, sacrificed for me, and she is my inspiration...the others (my aunts) took me under their wing and cared for me like no others could...and the youngest of them (my cousins) became my comrades. My Mema (my grandma), where do I even begin...how far and wide is your love. They are all my friends.

I love the men in my family, too, of course! And there are other women in my family who are so very important to me and I love them tremendously---you know who you are...but I wanted to give a "shout out" to the women of my DNA.

If my life were a tree, and I were the trunk...there are others who would make up the important parts, the branches, the leaves, the birds, the nests...but these are my roots. The foundation of my physical being...the beginning...

I wonder if they have even the slightest idea just how much I love them. How my heart aches when they are hurting. How my heart leaps for joy when they are happy.

When we cannot be together, we are always united in spirit, in love. Only a phone call away...and once in awhile a lot of time goes by when we don't hear each other's voices or hold each other in a hug, but when we are together again, when all is well, it's like we never were apart.



*not pictured, but still in my heart...cousins Shannon and Michelle