I am from animal fur
from soft cats and rambunctious dogs,
I am from the farm out back
(beading oils
made from scratch)
I am from the rose bushes,
the garden weeds
with long days picking them
competing with the sun.

I am from computers and curls,
from Judy Kay and Grandpa John.
I am from the wrong choices
and the right ones,
from 'it hurts to be beautiful.'
I'm from broken hearts and hurt fingers,
with Band-aids to mend with
and stories I know by heart.

I'm from Patricia Lavern and Lionel Sr.
with coffee cakes and Skipbo games;
from cancer that stole
but gave much more.
The guns my grandfather passed through time.
In the crafted and glued books
decorated with pictures,
memories remain
and some fill me with joy.
Those memories made me,
with a growing family
branching out in so many directions.