The Answer to "Who Am I?" #3

Dorthy, my grandmother …

The second of 14 children, she eloped at age 15. The woman who loved to keep house, to cook, to nurture. The laundress who made sure her daughters’ dresses were ironed and hanging neatly in the closet. The figure who was not too talkative, yet was very sociable and had many friends. The strength that allowed her to be outspoken when necessary. The soft-hearted woman, the good person. And she had green eyes.

She was no longer shrouded by the tombstone I had visited out of respect as a child. She had come alive if nowhere else but in my imagination. It was her image that pulled my fingers to the keyboard to create a story of mothers and daughters.

Out of her inspiration emerged a story of imaginary, yet real people, the many love stories that existed within the framework of their lives … their love of parent, of child, of spouse, of lover. How their lives are shaped by the decisions they make … the ones they applaud and the ones they regret. How they suffer in pain, revel in passion. How they make mistakes, make amends. How they want to love, want to be loved. How they create a story that probes the undeniable link between mother and daughter, directly and indirectly, one that never dies. How this connection ultimately molds these characters.

I discovered many realities during the countless hours of creative passion. In a world that had become increasingly complex, demanding, and society-focused, I believed we all search for the roots of our individual being, consciously or not. One character asks another, “Have you ever wondered who you really are? Why you feel the way you do? How you’re influenced by parents and grandparents, even if you’ve never met them?”

More tomorrow …