KUE61st: What Legacy Means

Last week I mentioned how I wrote Piglet her first letter.  While I'm not going to post it here (truly some things in this internet era are still private), I will share a general sentiment included in my letter.

It seems as though (and some people say) that oftentimes parents project who they are, wish they were, and wish they weren't onto their children.  Perhaps that is so.  I'm venturing that it's all part of the myth of who we are and become.  Predictably, part of my letter considered her looks: who she will look like and what personality traits of her mom and dad she'll inherit. (Yes, Nancy, I remember, she could inherit my most embarrassing traits).  Or I wonder if she'll carry recessive genes that make us joke about the milkman.

I wrote about my wonder and curiosity of her and this wonder's connection to legacy, family, and family myths.  While this letter is certainly addressed to a much older person, I feel as though it's important for her to know where she comes from as that surely will shape who she is to become, whether she likes it or not. 

I grew up with particular family myths about the women in my family, the family name (my maiden name is Spanish), and the interwoven tales of my ancestors and Texas history.  Of course I heard about my Yankee side of the family too (we can trace that side back to the Mayflower), but the Texas history and tale-telling always seemed to light up the eyes of the storytellers.  From my grandfather who in his youth was a curly redhead, a boxer, and a writer - who penned the most exquisite poem on the birth of Texas I'll ever read - to one of my great aunts who was one of the first women in Texas to own her own cotton gin (she also refused to marry and seems to have been her own version of Bettie Brown).  Of course we have a connection to the capture of Pancho Villa as well as a former President. (Doesn't it seem we're all related somehow to a former President?)  Mondo will surely share the stories from his family including that Piglet's great, great grandfather learned to fly from the Wright Brothers.

While growing up, I truly enjoyed these facts and stories but only as much as the storyteller had in reciting them.  In particular, my father's love of history permeated much of my childhood, and I admit, it annoyed me to full-on bouts of eye-rolling.  This love practically dictated every family vacation too.  From trips across Texas to Washington, DC, history was included somehow.  Oh how I loathed my father those hot summers as his long legs lumbered what seemed miles ahead of the rest of us on the way to some other document, battleship, or fort.  But, that all changed somewhere in my mid- to late twenties I would guess.  All of a sudden, a switch was flipped, and history and legacy aligned in my mind in a way that had not happened before - it became personal.

Because that's part of what brought us to Galveston.  While I don't know too much on how my family's history may overlap with Galveston, I felt a deep kinship when we came here (as did Mondo) because of our city's architecture, the gateway to Texas history. 

And what I want to impart to my daughter is truly that the story of her life is all her own, yet will align ever so slightly with those who have come before her.  So, while some may choose another place to rear (Grandma would demand I use the correct verb here) a child, Galveston is our home and provides opportunities, experiences, and perhaps perspectives not available just anywhere. 

Of course, I imagine, Piglet will have much more to bear in the history department than either of her parents:  she'll live in one of the most historic cities in Texas.  In a 140+ year old home.  Surrounded by her parents' architecture and history books on our fair Island.  Perhaps one day, she'll note the myths that were passed down to her, including that the year of her birth, Lost Galveston, written by Brian M. Davis, was released and there's a signed copy in her library, dedicated to her.

FYI: If you haven't planned to attend already, do consider attending the reception/lecture/booksigning and exhibit for Lost Galveston this Saturday, July 31 from 6pm to 9pm at the U.S. Custom House, 502 20th.  Oh, and bring a hanky.