Origin story part one.

So. How did we Three Amigos get to where we are now telling our tales?  I believe there are no coincidences in this life we lead.  We are all tasked and then equipped for those tasks by God to do what only we can do.  We still have a choice as to whether or not we complete the tasks assigned but, make no mistake, we HAVE an assignment. It's funny because I've known most of my life that my assignment would be to take care of my Mom and Dad in their old age.  Shoot, by my Mom's calculations she was already old when she had me at 37. Lol.  Around age 10 I knew pretty much how things would play out.  Looking back on circumstances now I think most of my decisions as I grew up were made with them in mind.  My parents invested heavily in me and I, in turn invested in them.  It's the kind of decision many families make when they know they only have each other for insurance down the road.
Growing up, my parents loved to travel.  As the story goes, my Dad was the original wanderer having learned how to catch trains and live the life of a hobo by age 14.  After he met my Mom, he proceeded to convince her to dream big and see the world.  Since they'd already started a family, travel automatically meant them and the kids heading out together.

We went wherever our sturdy Chrysler station wagon dared go.  Officially the era of Jim Crow was over and I don't know if my Dad owned a Green Book to help us stay safe on the Interstates but I know he took precautions to avoid having to beat somebody down over his family.  I remember things like tantalizing fried chicken lunches in shoe boxes and games of "I spy" and "punch bug".  I remember singing to tunes on the radio and hearing Dad and Mom asking where the local soul food restaurants were once we landed in a new town.  There were no car seats or air bags, yet we survived.  And since I was the youngest, I always just fit in where I could get in and tried not to annoy everyone else.  As you can see in the photo, my right thumb was my best friend. Lol.  It was interesting being so much younger than everybody else and watching how my siblings handled themselves in different situations when we traveled.  We were taught to look people in the eye, speak the Kings English and not back down when we saw an injustice.  Most of the states we visited were east of the mighty Miss and "going down south" was a right of passage.  There were a few times when I was allowed to miss a day or two of school because of a planned trip and that was a BIG deal.  Education was always the first priority in our house so a trip had to be a 'value add'. See, travel, for my parents was a mind expander AND an integral part of our education about life in general. And boy did it open my eyes to possibilities!  I caught the bug bad and commenced to saving nickles and dimes to go where I could afford to go with whomever wanted to hang.  Permission to travel is a powerful tool to give children--for them to know they are a legitimate citizen of this country and entitled to all of the rights and priviledges as any other citizen.  That they don't have to be stuck or be afraid or hide their passion to see new and different people and places.  Or to find out that we are more alike than we are different as Americans.  To hear some folks say, "soda" while others say "pop".  Or "gym shoes" versus "sneakers" and hear it said with an 'accent'.  To simply celebrate the diversity that is America is a tremendous gift; one not to be taken for granted or feared.  I am so glad I 'infected' my husband with the travel bug as well. That story will be in part three.🙂