Of Roots, Place, and Making Do

Being laid off has given me some time recently to catch up on my reading, and subsequentially it has afforded me time to read some books I haven't been able to read for some time due to busy schedules.   I have been reading more recently, thanks in part to some challenging debates from some friends and also due to the mess the Martin/Zimmerman case has stirred up recently, about some facts on Southern history that I found interesting, and as I do so I am starting to realize that maybe the "official" version of history is not the correct one, as often facts are left out in favor of "political correctness" to appease the powers-that-be.   However, I am not going to talk about that today (although I do think it a worthy subject for later) but rather about being put back in touch with some of my own roots.

Many of you who know my story know I am half-Southern - the Thrower side of my family is originally from Crenshaw and Butler Counties in Alabama, although their deeper roots take them back to South Carolina.   For many years, I had bought into the stereotype of White Southerners and for a long time in my younger days I was even ashamed of those roots.  As I got older though, I realized some things as I read more a grew up a little.  I regret that shame I felt, as it was a slap in the face to many of my ancestors, who were noble people with a rich history behind them that I have been able to trace back many generations.  And, to my Southern side of the family, I hope you will accept my humble apologies, for after getting to know many of them, I have come to see them as godly, patriotic, and loving folks who share a lot in common with me in conviction and outlook.  I have also come to appreciate small-town Southern culture better as well, as there is something comforting and enchanting about it that many who slam it miss out on.   Being half-Southern is not something I am ashamed of any longer, but I am actually proud of it now - it is truly a great heritage to have!

At one point too, I was actually ashamed of my Appalachian roots as well, until I moved away from home.   Regrettably, I have even told some people in the past I was from western Maryland rather than West Virginia, and as I look back on that too, I realize that was very stupid of me - I mean, I loved my hometown and where I grew up, and have nothing to be ashamed of!  So, in a change of heart over the past several years, I am proud to also call myself a West Virginian, and don't care who knows it.   And, God help the citified idiot that calls me or any other fellow Appalachian-American a "hillbilly" or any other stereotypes!  I honestly am getting sick and tired of being made to feel like I am less than human or something because I come from a small West Virginia town, or that my father's family is from south Alabama.   As the old axiom goes, you can take the boy out of the mountains, but you will never take the mountains out of the boy!  It is just too bad that it takes many years for some of us to fully appreciate it. 

A lot of my earlier shame about having Southern roots came from my dad, with whom I have never gotten along.  My father does tend to be a little short-sighted on things, and he does have prejudices and other hang-ups - I have to be honest - that put me off a lot.  Plus, he and I have never really gotten along all that well:  I mean, he is my dad and I love him, but he also can be a bit closed-minded about some things.  My mistake though over the years was making the rest of his side of the family somehow responsible for that when in reality all of the ones I have finally gotten to know are not even close to being like Dad in that aspect.  As a matter of fact, I regret not being around to get to know many of them until I was almost college-age, and I felt a little cheated in that regard too.   The Thrower side of the family has turned out to be a fine group of people, and I am proud to call them my blood - they really are the best now that I have gotten to know them, and I look forward to getting closer to that side of my family now.  They also deserve a great deal of respect, as many of them have remarkable lives and stories.  Take my cousin Donnie Myrick for instance, who is my great-aunt Olene's son - I have gotten to know him over the past couple of years, and he is really a gem of a human being.  And, then there is my aunt, Dorothy Pitts - she is the baby sister of my grandfather, Melvin Thrower, and I talk to her online almost every day - she is a very sweet lady and I love her dearly.   There are other relatives too, and getting to know them is something I have looked forward to for a long time, and now it has happened.   Donnie and Aunt Dot in particular have both been telling me some interesting stories about the family, some I have never known about, and it makes me appreciate those roots more.   Even Dad, despite some major issues, has provided me some great memories - Dad does have a good side, and if only he would let his better attributes shine more, as he has the potential of doing a lot of great things still despite the fact he is in his 60's.   In short, getting to know the other half of my family has been quite a blessing, and I am grateful for that opportunity now.

If there is a moral to this whole story, it would be this - some of the best things we can have in this life are strong familial ties, and we need to foster those as early as possible in life.   Also, as a secondary moral, never be ashamed of your roots or where you come from.  Sure, the "political correct police" may try to discredit some aspects of our heritage, but the truth and facts are always there despite any type of liberal whitewashing that goes on.   As I get older, I grow sicker and less tolerant of the revisionism and whitewashing that goes on in much of what the public gets in the name of "history," as oftentimes it serves an agenda rather than telling people the whole story.   And, I am going to be speaking out more about it too, because someone has to before a bunch of rabble-rousers and bureacrats try to steal something precious from our future generations.  So, today, for those of you with Southern, Appalachian, or other roots, don't be ashamed of who you are but rather get the real story from your loved ones rather than some corrupt President in Washington or a bunch of biased media moguls out to get a fast buck from sensationalized revisionism passing off as "responsible journalism."   God bless you all until next time.