My "I am from " poem

It was an honor to hear the "I am from" poems from those who shared on Tuesday. I was inspired to rewrite mine, and I feel like this is a good space to share. I'm sorry it's so sad, but it was really helpful for me to write it.


I am from my family, once whole, now missing a piece
I am from giant lollipops, ice cream trucks, and wacky cake
I am from the three B's: bagels, bike stores, and bookstores
I am from Jessica's Rock, boysenberries, and four generations of dogs
I am from A Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, and Phantom of the Opera
I am from the Portland Marathon, skiing, and hiking
I am from church campouts and pancake breakfasts
I am from Yosemite, Point Reyes, and New Zealand
I am from these memories of my childhood before the afternoon I found out that my goodbye that morning was his last goodbye. "I love you," he said as he dropped me off at school. I slammed the door and didn't say anything because I was a rotten teenager.
I am from moving on and remembering, and from learning about the difficulty of doing them simultaneously
I am from the grieving process, art therapy, and crying on Father's Day
I am from the joy found in renewed and strengthened relationships
I am from the thankfulness that I have these memories at all
I am from the hope that I have made him proud, and that I can continue to do so
I know he would love that I am going to teach.