My whole worldview and my formation as an active participant in the world is based upon the earliest and deepest of learning. Pulling my Legacy together is leading me back through the layers laid on by time, and the oldest memories are shining through.
“I love being in Mama’s lap. It’s warm here and soft and safe.”
When I was scared in the night — and I was often very afraid of existential threats, up until I took up residence at MIT — I crawled into bed with Mom and Dad, where I felt safe.
Home
Home was Home — I have the feeling deep inside me, but no definition is sufficient.
Mom set the example of making a house into a home and keeping it a welcoming place.
Freedom
Mom taught me that my freedom is incredibly valuable, to be protected and cherished and defended. “But, however, your freedom ends at the other guy’s nose.” Our freedom is so important that Dad went to war with the Navy to protect it.
Dad tried to teach me to aim for the middle of the road, or the golden mean. “Don’t rock the boat”. “Don’t tattle on your friends.”
Inadvertently, they taught me how to live with what seemed to be hypocrisy and still love the hypocrites. My nose was painfully offended by their cigarette smoke. I could not escape it at home or in the car. Only when I was alone with Grandma.
Truth
Dad gave me an appreciation for Truth over the years. His jokes were often based on carefully chosen words, requiring me to expand my vocabulary and my attention. Many threads of my life start here
Sunday School
I loved Sunday School and insisted on attending, even when my parents were not excited to be going to church. Dad taught me, “You don’t need to be in a church to be with God. Out in the woods is sometimes a better place.” Many threads in my life start here.
Promises
Mom found Brownie Troop 33 and dropped me in. She had never been a Girl Scout, but she knew what she wanted for me. When she was invested as head of the troop committee, I pinned the Girl Scout pin on her “upside down until you do a good deed” as was the custom.
“Twist me and turn me and show me the elf.” I looked in the water and saw . . .
“Whene’er you make a promise, consider well its importance, and when made, engrave it upon your heart.”
Many threads of my life start here.
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