Roots

The simplest things make you immortal.  I am reminded of the final scene of the Tim Burton movie Big Fish, where the narrator states that his father had told stories so many times that he had become the story and would live forever through them.  This resonates with me, not only because the movie was filmed in my home county of Elmore, Alabama, but because it is true of my family as well.

The home I grew up in sat on fifteen acres of woods and pasture.  Inevitably, all four members of my family would end up in the same, small enclosed space, whether it be my parents half bathroom or the storage room off the kitchen.  It is at this point that my father would shake his head, audibly sigh, and remark:  "Fifteen acres..."  Over thirty years later, "fifteen acres" has become a Boyd family euphemism for being feeling too crowded or the cry of a person needing their space.  

And it didn't end with "fifteen acres."  My mother got into the action as well.  Some weeknights growing up, when my brother and I would ask what's for dinner, my mother would respond:  "Tonight, it's everyman for himself."  Just the other day, my daughter asked what we were eating tonight and I replied "Everyman," as it is a regular entry on the Boyd family dinner menu.  We laughed and she said that she would use "everyman" in her family one day as well.  That, my friends, is immortality.

My hope and prayer is that we all seek out and appreciate the opportunities we have to create memories with our dearest friends and family that will truly make us all immortal.  I hope to share many of my own memories and experiences in this virtual "fifteen acres."  I would be honored to hear yours as well.