It’s All In The Roots
When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to leave home. I was always an independent child, and the excitement of making my own rules, paying my own bills, and building my own life was something I couldn’t wait to experience. I had a great childhood, but spreading my wings was always a goal of mine. It wasn’t like I was trying to forget my parents or anything like that; I just wanted to experience everything I could...on my own.
I did that. I ran all over this country, enjoying meeting new people and getting involved in different ventures. It was a blast. But as I look back and look forward it’s the connection to my roots that has brought me so much joy.
My father was a beef producer and a team roper. I grew up going to team ropings and rodeo’s every week, and I really enjoyed it. I’ve been feeding cattle since I could walk. When I left home, I was bound and determined to never feed another steer as long as I lived. That lasted two weeks, and I was feeding the rodeo stock at college. I begged my father to let me bring my horse, and he said no. So, I worked out a deal with a friend and got one anyway. I guess you can’t deny your roots. Horses have played a huge role in my life and always will. They are in my DNA. Thanks, Dad.
When I look back on my life, it’s really wild to see how my roots have weaved through almost every big decision I’ve made. When I left college, I started a career in the horse industry because that is what I knew. It took me into equine publishing, and I used that knowledge to cross over into food. Southern cooking was at the heart of our family. My grandmother cooked a big southern meal every day of her life. My mom’s mother (Nannie) made a big country breakfast and supper daily. Food was part of my heritage and very important. Now, it’s how my family makes a living.
As a young girl. I wanted to figure out who I could become, who I was going to be…who I WAS! I’m all of them. I’m a mixture of all of it. Isn’t that the way it works out? I’m thankful every day for the stories my mom tells me of her parents and all the things they did and accomplished. I see myself in those stories. I feel myself wanting to get even closer to my roots the older I get. I find myself doing the things I know they did, and it brings me such happiness. My father loved his horses, and I feel his presence every time I throw a leg over mine. Cleaning doves with my husband last week after a dove hunt. It takes me straight back to cleaning doves with my father when I was a kid. I can still see my grandmother out in the garden, carrying ears of corn in her apron back to the house to get ready for lunch. I think of her every time I pick something from my garden. Using a crock my Mom gave me to make my weekly sourdough bread. I think of all that she has taught me when it comes to cooking.
These times are strange right now. In a world that seems to be forever changing I find it so comforting to hold on to my family’s past. Even more now than ever before. There is so much noise and chaos around us all the time that I find it’s so important to get back to the basics. To really get back to the heart of things. The things that truly matter to us. To me, that means getting back to the simple pleasures in life. Sitting on the front porch listening to my mom talk about her childhood. Putting on my father’s old Carhart jacket to go down to the barn and feed my horses. Using my grandmother’s bundt pan to make her pound cake recipe. Feeling that connection to the people you love. Being in the moment and being THANKFUL to be in it.
Trust me, if you slow down to appreciate it and if you really breathe it in……you can’t help but feel gratitude for where you’re in life but more importantly for where you came from.
This column was originally featured in our Fall 2021 issue.
