My Family Culture

    If I was ever faced with a situation where I could take only minimal items with me representing my family culture, it would be a really tough decision to make.  The first item that I would take is my folder containing all of my children's birth certificates and our marriage license.  This would signify their heritage and where my children came from if we were ever separated.  Another item that I would want to keep with me is the photo album from our wedding that have many family pictures of members of both of our families that are still alive today along with added pictures of our ancestors and the days that all four of our children were born.  And the last item that I would take would be my wedding ring and family ring, it may not be a direct representation of my culture but it is a significant heirloom that I hope is passed on to my children the way my grandmother's ring was passed on to me.
     I would begin by telling people about the place of my children's births and how each of their names was derived from one of our ancestors.  Our oldest, Ashley Nicole, has a name derived from my godchild, the second Abigail Louise, is a name after one of my husband's ancestors, the third Tyler Augustus, is named after my dad whose middle name is also Augustus, his name was especially important because he is the only boy in my family and since the children all carry down my husband's family name of Atwood, it was important that he carried down a part of my dad's family too.  And the youngest Allyson Marina was named after my mom representing my Portuguese heritage, which is not easily seen through our last name.  The marriage license would represent names and marriages of the ancestors we came from and who we were before we became a family.  The family album would give a visual representation of our ancestors that we could share with individuals we meet.  And the family ring and wedding ring would serve this purpose as well and give others a glimpse of what it is like to be married in the United States.
     If I had to give up any of these items, I would feel an overwhelming sadness about leaving some part of our past and memories behind.  I would feel almost disconnected from my own roots even that I know they would be always be in my heart, I would have trouble not having this valuable information not only for myself but for my children not to lose sight of where they came from and who they are.
      This exercise has made me realize that even though we think in life that we need so many material items to survive, the reality is that in order not to loose our identities there is is a definitely a few significant items that could be used to tell our story.  What I have also realized is that living in a country where there are so many opportunities that in many cases aren't available to individuals in other countries, we are very fortunate.  For my ancestors coming here from the Azores, it was for employment, a new way of life, a new beginning, but with all the advantages, the loss they must have suffered from leaving their heritage and roots must have brought forth and overwhelming uncertainty, fear, and sadness.