The bumpy roots. Watch out for them. When we were playing wiffle ball. Or hide and seek.
Cars filled the gravel driveway. Traveled down the dusty road.
Everyone gathered for Sunday dinner.
My grandparents farm.
The land. The fields. The white house with green trim.
Where they raised 13 children. My mom number 10.
The place of my rooted-ness.
The playing of my childhood.
Aunts and uncles and cousins. Everywhere. Every Sunday.
Relatives spilling out of the house.
Some sitting on steps. Leaning against cars. Talking. Debating.
Kids playing.
And those roots. The roots of the big tree, by the ditch. It’s roots never laid smoothly. Always a trick for those who didn’t know.
But me and my cousins. We knew our way around that yard.
We knew the bumps, the contours of our roots.
Today. When we travel down that gravel road. Only part of a barn still stands. Empty land that was once full.
My tree still stands.
It’s roots telling me it will never forget what it has seen.
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“being rooted and established in love, have the power to grasp how long and wide and high and deep is God’s love for you”. grateful for the being rooted in the love from my family, from the farm, that gave me glimpses of a greater love to come.
Participating in Lisa Jo’s 5 Minute Friday. Write for five minutes- no over thinking, no backtracking. Link back. Encourage the person whose link is before yours.
Read more here
Prompt today: Roots.
I’m going to look for an old picture of my grandparents farm. And will add it!
Oh my heart. This sounds so much like my life. Hard to see the landscape change but so nice that your old tree still stands. I hope you have pictures of it through the years. Mind you, the pictures in the mind are the best ones~memories. 🙂
Jaunita- I agree. Pictures in our minds. As I wrote I could see the countless Sunday afternoons. I know for my mom and her siblings, still sad to go back and not much is left. But our memories remain.
These memories of your roots were so fun to read. And it always seems to help us burrow them deeper into our hearts to remember, doesn’t it? I so enjoyed reading your post tonight!
Thank you Missy! I love remembering this. Something I haven’t in a while. So grounding for us!
Wow! What a great five minutes!!!! It’s amazing to me how memories from years ago are so sharp when it comes to where we grew up. Love the imagery!
Christen
Thank you! So glad you joined in five minute Friday. There are days I’d like to go back to that farm, to be surrounded by family again.
Oh, Melanie, this is gorgeous. Yes, we know our roots. . and the image of you playing on that spread-open yard, knowing where to jump, where to stand–wow. I love that this part of us, these tucked away memories, never leave.
Thank you Jennifer. After writing this, i think I need to spend more time reflecting on these roots. Remembering. Happy weekend to you!
What a beautiful legacy!
Thank you Barbie. I sometimes forget. It is good to remember.
Melanie, I grew up in a big family too. Brings back so many memories. Thank you. Love your piece. Meredith at http://www.p31wife.com
Hi Meredith. I loved having a big extended family. I loved stopping by your block- and your poetic writing.
That’s it. I want to pack up and move to a farm and raise my kids and some chickens and maybe a cow or two. I love when I can picture heritage so easily in dusty roads and family dinners round a worn wood table. Love sharing in your memories here, since I have no farm of my own yet. 😉
Do it!! I loved the setting of my childhood years and big family. It seems so far away…and yet not when i write about it.
Let me know when you move to your farm 🙂
Great post.
Thank you Denise! Happy weekend.
My son (13) starting a mowing business in our neighborhood this summer and we are all aware of the roots. When we hike, or when I was a camp counselor, I am forever chorusing ‘watch the roots’.
Love your ‘history’, the picture of the ground brought me back to my grandparents – 9 kids in their family.
Hi Emily- Ahh, so fun to see your face after being together at Allume!
It is good to remember history- although sometimes hard to do.
Dear Melanie
Oh, how my heart longs for those family gatherings on a Sunday. I come from a family of 6 children
and, true to South African custom, we always used to have a “braai” on a Sunday after church.
Yes, dear friend, family is so important and those memories of family gatherings is such an important part of one’s view of life and the world! I am glad your memories are also sweet!
Blessings
Hello sweet Mia! I like picturing your South African family. It is good for me to remember, i loved all those times of being with cousins and playing and feeling so free. It can feel so far removed from me, but writing has the power to bring you right there.
Happy weekend to you.
I love the perspective that you just offered. Knowing our roots…what a big, beautiful legacy you come from. I love it!
Hi Jessica! I’d love for my son to have that too- a big family. It is a wonderful legacy to remember.
Hope you are feeling better!
Oh wow. I was totally with you in the excitement and busyness and comfort of the whole huge family gathered together – I felt kinda sad when I got to the empty bit. Roots are important. I’m glad I got to see some of yours here.
Hi Tanya. I almost didn’t type the coming back to it empty. It is sad to see. i know my mom and her siblings don’t like to visit where the farm use to be…a place that was so full of vibrancy. It is good to remember.
Oh, I love this so much! I love how it feels so home-y and I’m transported to the sights and sounds. I love how you say you know the secret roots. Just beautiful!
Hi Amy. Thanks for your encouragement! And joining in me remembering my roots 🙂
Beauty & Grace in these roots. Thank you for this.
Paula- Thank you! Sometimes need to rest in remembering the beauty and grace.
You took me straight to my granny’s house where we would all climb up in her huge holly tree. It was like a tent with so many branches to sit on. We always had to wait for everyone to get there after church, but it was worth the wait. Loved this on so many levels.
Amy, I love that both of our Roots post took us to each other’s childhood.
Thanks for your ongoing encouragement!
Oh, this took me back to my childhood. I know those gravel roads, dust and all. I know the openness and the larger than life trees covering picnics places. I can still smell the barn, the strong sturdy barn where horses were kept, horses I enjoyed. I hear the rustle of the tall grass as the wind wisks through. Beautiful! Love this, my friend!
Oh Stefanie. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to visit each other’s “places”. I suppose we when we let each our words bring us there. Praying for a healthy weekend for your sweet family!
Isn’t it great how the pieces of our lifelong story come together to teach us things? Love the direction you went with this word. Thanks for stopping by my blog too.
Libby Thanks for coming by to visit. Yes, so much to learn from our stories. Pieces hidden that we haven’t thought about in a while.
Happy weekend to you.
Relatives spilling out of houses…I’ve never known that feeling, but it sounds wonderful.
Hi Amy
I love those memories from childhood. As an only child, I loved being around my cousins and huge extended family. Wish my grandparents house (and them) were still here to spill out of.
Thanks for stopping by.
Beautiful. You have such a way with words and imagery. Absolutely poetic. I’m so happy I stopped by! I’m also a Melanie 🙂 with 2 energetic boys… Happy to read your beautiful words today.
Hope you have a great weekend, sweet friend.
Blessings,
Melanie
Hi Melanie! So happy you stopped by. I remember seeing you at Allume, but didn’t have a chance to talk. (At one meal there were three Melanie’s at the table! I never meet Melanie’s, we decided must be Melanie’s blog!)
Thank you for your encouragement!
Happy weekend.
I have no words…just love for you.
this was poetically perfect, Melanie.
My tree still stands.
It’s roots telling me it will never forget what it has seen.
Oh mylanta.
Oh Nikki, I always get excited when i see a comment from you- I know it will be full of encouragement and love and grace.
Thank you!
Ah, the memories of extended family wiffle ball tourneys. I remember grandpa would take us for a ride in the wagon behind his ride-mower. Good times for sure, thanks for the reminder!!! 🙂
It was so good to meet you this week via 5 min Friday!
Remembering is powerful, sometimes hard, sometimes sweet.
Okay. So I know I super late. I had this one sitting in my email box waiting to have time to enjoy it… and I did enjoy it! So great to know you a little better and such a beautiful word-photograph from your childhood.