Where I'm From

I'm from Dawn dish liquid, sweet tea, and fried chicken. I am from the old green house on a quiet road, comfortable yet eccentric. A house that is filled with the sounds of bickering sisters and the scent of laundry detergent. I am from the dogwood tree, babies breath, and dandelion dust. I am from "The Christmas Box", read every year, and fiery short-temperedness from Trustie, Luther, and Virginia. I am from the snapping of green beans on granny's front porch and running bare-footed through the grass at midnight catching fireflies. From cheerios are doughnut seeds and the dinosaur in the attic. I'm from two bible schools every summer and "Now I lay me down to sleep...." every night. I'm from the heart of old time mountain music and descended from the Irish, Scottish, German, and Cherokee. From baked potatoes and biscuits. From the time mom put gasoline drenched paper towels in the wood stove and got her eyebrows burnt off and when my younger sister's curiosity caused her to eat flies out of the window sill. Laying on my dresser top is a small tin box that once belonged to my great-grandmother, filled with old photos and fond memories. I am from an odd family and a life filled with bad habits, embarrassing moments, and heart-warming memories I wouldn't trade for the world.