|
When I was young, I hitch-hiked all over the western United States
trying to run away from those things inside me that I didn't like. I even ventured into Mexico, to Mazatlan, and lived on
a little island for a month; the thing is, you can't run away from yourself, 'cuz wherever you go, there you are. It wasn't
until years later, being older and arguably wiser, that I began to think about my grandmother's stories, and her mother's
stories, that I'd heard as a little girl. It was from those stories that I found a renewed peace and strength, and a
desire to know more. It seems that my cousins and I all came to the same crossroads in our lives, as we began to email back
and forth about the need for a family reunion. The consesus was that Grandma Lillian would be pretty angry with us that
over the previous few years, we had failed to keep our promise to her, that the family would always stay connected, and gather
together at least once a year. So, we planned a family reunion. That idea was born in the fall of 2004.
In June of 2005, we had a family reunion on Lake Ponchartrain. Although we had always spent our summers together at
a large camp on the south shore, in Little Woods, most of those camps had washed away during previous storms, or had fallen
into such disrepair that they were torn down. So we rented three connected "camps", or lake houses, in the Northshore
community. They were located on the lake at what used to be known as "Rat's Nest", a place we'd spent many a summer
day crabbing and picnicking together. I had begun to research my family history on a limited level since the summer
of 2004, but after making plans for the reunion, I began my work in earnest. My research resulted in a detailed genealogy
project, which I had published online through my software. Look for the link on my "Links" page.
Our elders have a patience to teach that our parents, when they are young and new at it, do not.
I don't know what kind of person I would have turned out to be had I not had my great grandma Rosie and her sister, Aunt Donia,
and my grandparents and their siblings, in my life. I'm glad I didn't have to be that person. I don't think I'd
like her much.
 |
|
| Those of us brave enough to crowd onto the ramp... |
|
| Family reunion, June 2005 |
|
How in hell did I get here?
Seeing all of my family at the reunion, complete with the elders,
children and grand children, I thought to myself, "Wow, how time has passed! How in hell did I get here so soon?"
It wasn't easy. I've been through a lot...but I like the person I am. At last!
Changed By Love
A Personal Manifesto
I've had bad things happen to me in my life, but I will not use that
as an excuse to act badly.
I choose to get my energy from the goodness I've been exposed to. I choose not to feed on
the negative forces that have surrounded me at different times in my life.
I choose love over hatred, not because I
am naive and innocent, but because I've seen what hatred does to a soul. I will not have that inside me!
I will respect
my elders, because they tread the path before me and make it easier.
I will respect my peers, because I know we each
have our battles to fight, our obstacles to overcome, and our heartaches.
I will respect the children and young adults
in my life, because they still have to travel the hard parts that are behind me now. I offer myself to them to lead when they
need guidance, and to serve when they are broken.
I will live my life as honestly as I can, reflecting daily on my
actions and my motives to see if I could have done things differently and achieved a better result. I will always strive for
better results, even in those small things that no one else will ever see.
I will choose my battles carefully. When possible, I will choose communication
over confrontation, reason over impulse.
On the other hand....
I will not be so uptight about my life that I forget how to smile, how
to laugh, how to forgive, how to let go, how to rest, how to dance, how to enjoy a good water fight, how to love my cat even
when I have to scoop up her shit, and, when reason fails me, how to apologize.
I
am happy because I choose to be.
I am beautiful because I choose to see myself that way.
I am content to embrace my imperfections. In my
youth, I held myself to an impossible standard, and set myself up for one failure after another. I refuse to do that to myself
ever again.
This life is not long, it is not easy, but it is the only life I have. As Jimi Hendrix said in the song
“If 6 was 9”, "I'm the one that's gotta die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want
to."
I choose to believe in God, to love my country with all its faults, to look for the lesson in every trial, to
look for the good in every person.
I refuse to be changed by evil. I choose to be changed by love.
Rhonda Lee Richoux 2004
|
|
|
|
|
