My Family Culture
It was difficult to decide what three items I wanted to take with me as I have accumulated so many trinkets and personal possessions in my age that hold great value to me. After I thought about this assignment for a couple of days, my top three choices became clear. I would take with me the following items:
*Pictures of my family; my children, parents, siblings
*My first rosary that I received at my First Communion
*Chicken Soup for the Soul book by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
These three items are very special to me as they represent my identity, my culture, my life, and my inspirations. Provided my host country can speak my language well enough to understand my descriptions, I would inform them about the importance of my three items and the significance that they hold in my life.
My family pictures give me the memories and remind me of the happy and sad times throughout my life experience. The rosary that I received as a gift from my parents during my First Communion represents my faith and its calming effect helps to soothe my anxiety during stressful times. My copy of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book has many inspiring stories and sometimes makes the difficult choices I face in my life more manageable by granting me greater clarity and focus.
If I were forced to make the choice to keep only one of my items and abandon the other two, I would undoubtedly experience deep sadness and heartache. Despite the grief and pain associated with having to relocate from my familiar environment and way of life to somewhere completely different against my will, I would have to keep my family pictures. That way, I would be able to share my past experiences with others in a visual way, and still have a physical representation of better times in my life.
This assignment has really made me question my values and evaluate what is important to me. I know that my family will always be a priority in my life and am proud to share that fact with others. With my pictures, I would have an easier time communicating my experiences with another culture that may or may not speak my native language. In this way, I can both embrace my culture and celebrate diversity at the same time.
Oh Jill, I chose to keep my family pictures too because I believe I can always get back the other possessions that are dear to me but definitely not the pictures. The pictures of my family are more than a thousand words and would it cause memories just to flood my mind especially in times of great depression and need. My family means the world to me and I have really thought long and hard about what is really meaningful to me. I have never thought about how I would react in times of disaster that would actually lead to me and family evacuating our country.This assignment has really caused me to do some real soul searching and to look at what I really value most in life.
ReplyDeleteJudy
Jill,
ReplyDeleteI think you chose some great items to take. I like how you use the rosary and book to help you get through stressful times and to make difficult decisions. It's amazing how useful and valuable something that seems so small can me. I also think you were very thoughtful in choosing to keep your family photos because the host country might not be able to understand your language. Pictures are a great way to nonverbally express things or tell a story. They are also very powerful in evoking memories in the people who keep them as well. All of your items are very reflective of a family culture that seems to have taught you much about yourself and life in general. I enjoyed reading it!
Jill, I really enjoyed your post and you chose some great things to bring. I remember reading the first Chicken Soup for the Soul with my mother when I was a child and we have continued reading them over the years. The beautiful thing about pictures is that you don't need words to communicate the message in the picture.
ReplyDeleteHello Jill,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and like you I believe pictures are the most important item for anyone to hold on to. Our house was destroyed by a fire and he only thing that mattered to us where our pictures. From that devastation we learned that everything can be replaced but pictures can not. Pictures tell the story of ones culture that not even words can bring to life.
Thanks again for sharing,
Crystal