Are Your Roots Showing

Are Your Roots Showing?

Oh dear, is it time to head to the salon to cover up the gray? Or perhaps you are more of a do-it-yourselfer. Try to remember what the brand and color was that you used the last time…and head to the drug store.

But no, the roots I’m thinking of are your family line, your ancestry, your starting place.

My husband and I had the pleasure Friday night of meeting some new people. Our church, Calvary Presbyterian, arranged a “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” event. A committee randomly assigned groups of five or six people to go to dinner at the home of another congregation member. We are relatively new to our church, so we didn’t really know any of the other five people at our table. We had a nice meal and wonderful conversation and got to know these strangers—letting our roots come through.

One of the other ladies was also an author, her book “Friends in my Kitchen” is stories from her life—revolving around family, food and recipes. The hosts were special education teachers, another lady was retired, and the other guest is a hard-working gal intent on starting her own horse business. It was fun telling about ourselves and getting to know the others. After dinner, we all moved on to the church basement for dessert and more fellowship with even more people who we didn’t know previously.

The experience brought to mind a question though: are my roots so much different than others? I grew up on a hog farm in Kansas, so what do I have in common with people who grew up in Seattle or have lived in Juneau Alaska for decades? The answer became obvious after a few short hours—family. Most of the people shared stories about their family. Their children, their spouses, their parents—their roots and the roots that are still spreading and growing were what joined us together. We all have the same concerns and love for our relatives—it doesn’t matter if they are farmers, teachers, writers, or horse trainers. And even people who live alone now still focus on their family.

We met one lady at the church who shared tales of her ex-husband, her ex-sister-in-law, ex-grandchildren—but they are all still a vital part of who she is. In this day and age, a huge percentage of us have exes in our lives. And even though most of us erase their presence from our lives, the cause and effect of those relationships still have shaped our roots. We learn from our mistakes, we can step back and perhaps admit our failures that contributed to the failure of those relationships, and we move on—but we have those roots trailing behind us.

If you know anything about horticulture you may be familiar with a taproot. A taproot is basically the one large root that goes way, way deep to seek out the best of the moisture and the nutrients that nature provides to the plant. But no plant survives singularly on a taproot; there are also finger roots that sprout off of the taproot that also contribute to the well-being of the plant. A year ago when we moved to our new home we transplanted a curly willow tree. It was lush and growing before moving it, but sadly, the taproot was compromised and even though it still is alive it is not thriving.

People have similarities to my transplanted willow tree. The vast majority of us stray away from our original home place, moving a few miles away from family or a few hundred miles away, or even thousands of miles away like I have done. And of course, not every home situation has fond memories and strong healthy roots—but they still gave basis to your roots. It comes down to choices—do you follow your taproot or live off of the strength only of your finger roots?

I am one of those fortunate people who has been reunited with my high-school sweetheart and married him! My one greatest fear when I found him again was that he might have changed—became a person with hobbies or morals that I couldn’t relate to. But when I discovered that he was the same down-to-earth fellow it was easy to agree to move thousands of miles away from my roots to marry him, and I don’t have any regrets. Both of us still have our taproot in Kansas, and return there as frequently as possible. But we have made a comfortable life in Washington State, and are enjoying growing our finger roots. The love of family, friends, and God keep us grounded. Our taproot will be the nutrients of our ancestry that survived hardships and flourished during the good times–and yes, our roots are showing.