Where Are You From?

(Following up on a conversation started at www.aholyexperience.com.)

I am from humid honeysuckle summers, bare feet dashing across scalding pavement towards the pool.

I am from weeknight sporting events. Baseball diamonds surrounded by cheering parents. Squeaky church gyms. High school football games and siblings more athletic than I.

I am from vacations to the beach, junk-food sleepovers, and weekend church retreats.

I am from sleepy morning devotionals that we children hardly heard through our half awake ears, crunching cereal loudly... except to hear that our parents knew He was worth this effort.

I am from spacious, hilly suburbs, shiny shopping malls, clean schools. I am from "mind your manners," and "don't be in a rush to grow up." I am from a mama who bought quality at a bargain and never thought I was too old to sit in her lap to cry when life crashed down.

I am from at least five hot, balanced home cooked meals per week around the family dinner table. I am from "eat your vegetables" and later sneaking cookies from the pantry.

I am from an area budding with the beginnings of diversity and racial reconciliation. I am from classmates of every ethnicity as my grammar school friends, but I am from a world of white friends on the weekends.

I am from a family who loves books and words and metaphors and stories. I am from The Monkey's Paw as a children's tale. I am from dinner table discussions where Encyclopedia Brittanica is pulled out and word origins are discussed.

I am from a God of grace greater than my mistakes. From a family who taught that being perfect is not what matters, but only hungering for the Perfect One.

Feel like joining the conversation? Where are you from?