I am definitely not in Dixie, I’m back in Tokyo! And the internet has not been my friend today. So this one is a strange mix of papers, inks and internet challenges. Whew! I’m relieved it all worked itself out!
I created this background with a variety of paper scraps – mulberry, embossed, tissue and finally watercolor paper. I bought a grey brush pen at a local hardware store, and it worked differently with each piece of the collage. It turned into an interesting experiment.
The words of this song make me think about warm Summer days in the South visiting my grandparents.
I wish I were in the land of cotton.
– Dan Decatur Emmett 1904
Old Times there are not forgotten.
Look Away, Look Away!
Look Away, Dixie Land!
Chorus: Then I wish I were in Dixie. Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixie Land I’ll take my stand,
to live and die in Dixie.
Away, Away, Away down South in Dixie.
Away, Away, Away down South in Dixie.
We all have fond memories of our childhood – hopefully. And being able to interact with and know our grandparents, aunts, uncles and even cousins help us better understand ourselves. Knowing where we came from gives us the freedom to make our own path moving forward. No matter what your relationship is with your family, you have the power to make your own choices. You are not bound by your heritage, it is a gift from which you can learn and grow and may or may not help you somewhere in your future.
Be it the North, South, East or West…who you are in started one place and may end up somewhere very differently. It takes guts to change your life. So today I hope we all can learn from our past to build our own bright future!
