Forever Texan

I've been tormented by my family for as long as my brain was actively firing about the fact that I wasn't born in Texas. It had less to do with my being born in Arkansas than the fact that I had broken a seemingly long tradition of being a native born Texan (if any of us honkies can be considered native). I was born in Hot Springs and we lived in Arkadelphia. My older brother, only a little over 3 then, had difficulty saying Arkadelphia. Instead, he called it Arkadelly. My sweet Pappaw named me the Arkadelly Queen.

From sharecroppers to cattle ranchers and plain city folk, my Texas heritage is rich with a wide range of stories covering various lifestyles. Inherent in all my family's past though is a strong connection to the land from whence most of us had sprung. Our horizons have varied from whirling wind mills, foreboding dust storms or electric thunderstorms to glass and steel skyscrapers piercing the hot, humid sky.

Wherever we have been, many common pleasures have been present: the smell of honeysuckle, blankets of bluebonnets, cool, sweet watermelons on a hot, hot August day, the soft coo-cooing of the gentle mourning dove, the joyful singing of the mockingbird. Fire-hot salsa and hot tortilla chips best complimented with a nice, cold margarita are like adding root stimulator to my long, deep roots nestled in the soil of my home.

As we have set things in motion which may lead us to leave the state of TX, I smell the honeysuckle a little more, I breathe in the hot air and I wonder what my children will know of Texas. I’m encouraged that my boys seem to have acquired my accent (my husband isn’t Texan so doesn’t have quite the same appreciation for it). I also understand that as long as my children associate love with Texas, they’ll find a piece of home here. Since Texas is filled with my family who loves them dearly, I’m confident that Texas will become a desired destination for them as well.

It may be that we won’t leave Texas and this mental exercise I’m undergoing may be pointless but, if we are, I’ll appreciate having paused to take it all in, the good and the bad, and let it fill my pores, my veins and my heart so I can take it with me wherever I go.