My Family Culture

      Living in New Orleans, Louisiana I feel as though I have already survived a catastrophic event in the form of Hurricane Katrina.  Families that live in the gulf region go through the exercise of, what will you take, every hurricane season.  The first item I would gather is the DVD of our family photos.  After Katrina my extended family compiled the old pictures that were not destroyed in the storm to make a DVD that could travel with us to any new place we might have to live until we could return home.  The second item I would take is the family cookbook that was created as a part of our church fundraiser.  It contains foods that are indigenous to this region.  The foods from home would be comforting in a new place.  The third item I would take is a cherished heirloom that belonged to my grandmother, a mustard seed encased in a heart.  She always carried this inexpensive charm in a handkerchief in her purse and after her passing I was given this special piece.  She often said, "Anything is possible, all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed."  I know that in a time of such confusion  faith that all would indeed be well again is a REQUIREMENT.

       If I were then told that I could only keep one item would sadly leave behind the cookbook.  The unique foods that I grew up with coupled with the foods from my husband's Puerto Rican pallet would be comforting at a time of loss.  However, I could always write a new book, which would include the foods we like from our new home.  The second thing left behind would be that cherished family heirloom from my grandmother.  She instilled in me the belief and grace to survive anything by faith; those lessons live in my heart.   That leaves me with the pictures of our family,  extended family members and our beloved ancestors.  From pictures come stories and from stories the legacy of a culture is continued.  These stories will help my family culture survive any catastrophic event as it has helped many survive Hurricane Katrina.

      One thing that was learned from Katrina and can be learned from an exercise like this is to treasure live your life.  I have learned to do something as simple as using my china ALL of the time.  What in the world am I saving it for?  Home is where ever you unpack.