The Ones Who Shaped Me

MMG
MMG
Sep 4, 2018 · 4 min read

Roots Under the Trees

My everyday house is simply a house. A house that holds memories and some of my most special belongings, but it is just a house. My family summer house is different- it is my home. My first memory is at that house. The cabin nestled under the redwoods in Cazadero, California is where my entire childhood was shaped- my sense of adventure and creativity, my relationships with my extended family, and my early discovery of who I was and who I could be. Growing up spending so much time here, my family became the people I know best, the people I felt most comfortable around.

This picture contains the first photograph of the house, taken over fifty years before I would visit the house for the first time at three weeks old. It hangs on the wall at the home and is the first photograph we show to visitors. My late great-grandfather and builder of the house stands on the front porch, his grin full of pride. He was a devoted, hard worker and a loving family man. I will always be grateful to have known him.

Next to the photograph sits a pair of white children’s shoes, once belonging to my mother. They have been hanging on the key rack by the knot in the worn laces for as long as I can remember. These shoes have walked, ran, and played in the same places mine have, and I have always hoped the shoes belonging to my children will do the same.

Growing Apart, Yet Always Within

“That’s Amore” has been part of the soundtrack of my life. I vividly recall my Italian relatives quizzing me regarding the English translation of the word “amore”. This song reminds me of the countless evenings before dinner spent on the deck of my summer home, listening to the familiar oldie songs over appetizers and many conversations. I love my vinyl record copy of the song because I adore the way the song crackles as the record makes its orbit. The rest of the pieces of the photograph reflect my greatest current interests, all oriented from specific members of my family’s strengths.

My Mary Poppins inspired painted rock is one of my newest creations. Since I could remember, my parents would always tell me that I obtained my creativity from my late grandmother, a woman whose creativity was familiar to everyone that knew of her.

My penmanship and ability to write displays the penmanship of both my grandfather and his brother. They are both lifelong learners, and I hope to carry my love to learn throughout my entire life.

Lastly, my camera, given to me by my other grandmother, represents my desire to capture the best moments of my life. My desire to photograph special moments arose from my interest in the photographs existing from my family’s past, as they allow me to glimpse into the past of the people who shaped me and better understand those who have passed before I had the opportunity to meet them

Though I can no longer spend my days surrounded by the people I love most, for some have moved away and some have passed on, my family is always with me through the strengths and traits I possess.

My Own Story

This sign simply reading Family sits high above eye level in my house, constantly telling all visitors it’s message. It’s always been there, covered with dust, yet I have always perceived the same simple message from it. Family, chosen and blood related, is the only thing that matters.

In my future, I want to provide care and love for the people that are most important to me, just like my relatives provide for me. I want to share my strengths and memories with younger generations; I want to live on long after I am gone through the power of photographs.

In this photo, the hydrangeas and a sign reading S.F.F.D are nestled behind the main focus of the photo. Both of my parents will always be two of the largest parts of me. My imagination, my endurance, and most of my outer shell reflects that of my father, a strong San Francisco fireman. And from my mother, I obtained my love for literature, my capacity for conversation, my wit- as she is represented my her favorite flower, the hydrangea. Another bright and lively hydrangea grows in the background, because it is also my favorite flower.

By 75, I will have my own identity, that will help shape my children and their’s. By 75, I will have taken the tools they have provided for me to become my own unique person, though my family will always live through me, as they are the people who helped shaped my core identity.

MMG

Written by

MMG

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