Where I am from …

I am from heliotropic sunflowers, from dandelions pretending to be flowers, from fast-moving thunderstorms, and fields of wheat, barley, and alfalfa.

I am from family reunion amusements consisting of horseshoes and bean-bag shuffleboard. I am from bricklayers, homesteaders, from strong determined men and women who earned a living with their backs and hands, and from Letha and Ayrice, great-grandmothers, that partook in nearly a century of experiences.

I am from Girl Scouts, state fairs, carnivals, and rodeos. I am from science fairs, memorizing Bible verses, and Saturday afternoons perusing the shelves of my town’s small library.

I am from the duck-and-cover tornado drills of Kansas, the cornfields of Nebraska, the veritable seas of oil flowing beneath the red loam of the state of Oklahoma, and the family name reaching across the Atlantic into the Netherlands.

I am from a lack of gold, material riches, or vast acres of land or estates to inherit. I am from a family history of flawed and noble individuals who survived the World Wars I and II, the wars of Vietnam and Korea, the Dust Bowl, and the Depression, with determination and valor to spare. 

I am not from famous names nor infamous ones, nor governors or kings. On the contrary, I am from humble origins; a long saga of ordinary people living ordinary lives with extraordinary courage and determination.

And I have quite recently embarked upon a quest to unearth more information about where I am from: to gain awareness about the assortment of specific individuals that have directly contributed to my existence on this marvel of a planet.

May you enjoy reading about my varied genealogical discoveries.