Sundays with You: I Am From

1. I am from a neighborhood hidden away from a town
2. I am from a competitive home where you either win or “run it back”
3. I am from a room that very often had its door removed because of a poor attitude
4. I am from where silence often means something is wrong
5. I am from the beaches at Thanksgiving
6. I am from where you are told to keep your mouth shut and listen
7. I am from where we hate meatloaf, but eat it anyway
8. I am from where you describe the seasons with smells
9. I am from where a vacation is finding the quietest hidden spot
10. I am from where even Superman can only do all that he can
11. I am from where we blast Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen on Saturday morning
12. I am from where we go to church, but don’t always hear the message
13. I am from where people do not see every side outside of their own
14. I am from where I want to find a woman who pushes me to be the best me, I can be
15. I am from where anything I needed was obtainable
16. I am from where anything I want, or need, is obtainable
17. I am from where not leaving an impact is never an option
18. I am from where anything is possible, including everything
19. I am from where the difference between hope and reality only has to be a few seconds apart

Above, what you read, paints a picture of who I am and where I am from. Memories that I have which have shaped the person I wake up as every day. Entire stories, summarized in a few short words. So I ask, where are you from?

Hello once again to this week’s Sunday with You, thanks for stopping by. I find myself thinking a lot about these posts every week, only to find myself sitting down late Sunday night almost feeling like I am looking at a blank canvas. While a blank canvas is a beautiful beginning and has all of the potential in the world, it also presents a magnification of every stroke as you begin. That very pressure, often keeps many of us from even beginning. While that can be frustrating, I also believe it can be an opportunity for reflection. So this week, I want to do just that. I want this Sunday with You, to be just that, with you. I will leave the instructions for the I Am Poem you read above and challenge you to think about your answers. What stories are you telling line by line? What memory came back that hasn’t been thought about for years. What haven’t you given yourself credit for that you should? For me, a lot of the memories were with my Dad. A man who frustrates me like no other, but someone who has inspired me like no other as well. Memories of frustration, growth, and lessons which I wouldn’t understand until years later about patience and when to “keep your mouth shut”. That, is where I am from.

If you feel comfortable, please feel free to share yours. If not all, maybe just the line that stood out to you the most. While I love doing these posts, what I enjoy even more is the interactions I get from them. For this week, I hope something that each of you are hoping for becomes a reality.

Thanks for stopping by and once again letting me share this Sunday with You.

Instructions for “I Am From” Poem:

You will read a series of prompts and will write a descriptive phrase or series of words that correspond to each. After you have answered each prompt, you will add the words “I am from” before each line. If you can’t think of a response, or do not feel comfortable answering any of the prompts, you can skip that prompt – it will have little to no effect on the final product.

Prompts:

1. A description of your childhood neighborhood
2. A description of your childhood home
3. A description of your childhood bedroom
4. A description of your childhood experience (a sound, smell, or taste)
5. A family tradition or family trait
6. Things you were told as a child
7. A favorite meal growing up
8. A favorite smell
9. A detail or two about a favorite vacation spot
10. A lesson learned from a parent or grandparent
11. A song or saying you learned as a child
12. How you think about your religion, faith, or spirituality
13. How you think about or describe your race
14. How you think about or describe your sexual orientation
15. How you think about or describe your class or socio-economic status
16. How you think about or describe your ability or disability
17. A fear you have
18. A belief you have or a motto you live by
19. A hope you have for the future

-Colin Lane Croat