My Inner Child

I made it back from PEI this week. It was a marathon of a trip - Leaving Wichita on Thursday morning at 7am and driving 3.5 hours to Kansas City (3 hours at the speed limit my ass Mapquest!), Flying to DC, Customs in Halifax, then driving 3 hours (actually my brother Jon drove) to PEI to FINALLY arrive at 3 in the morning. My brother's currently living in PEI, and my sister Alyson flew in on Saturday morning. The three of us being together is always a pretty wild time - I honestly don't know many siblibngs who are more loyal to each other than we are - we will tease and fight with each other but God help anyone else who tries to come between us. PEI has some pretty strong emotional ties for all of us -The Jenkins' have lived in the same little community in PEI for eight generations - I kid you not - we were on PEI before the bloody Vikings. I spent the happiest and saddest moments of my childhood there and everytime I go back there's no other way I can describe it but "home". How can a place create such strong emotions? It is the memories? the familiarity? The family roots? Whatever it is, I cannot be cured of it. They say maritimers are among the most loyal people to their birthplace. Most of them leave when they figure out they need to make a living and "Unemployment Insurance" is among the top career choices available, but they ALWAYS come back. We have a couple of friends from Newfoundland who were living out the American dream in Oregon - she was a well-paid nurse, he was a well-paid engineer, they lived in a big house, rode around in a convertible and went sailing on their sailboat on the weekends. But, being from Newfoundland, home called to them and they could not ignore it. They're currently fighting storms, waves and physical reserves to sail up the East Coast back to Newfoundland - the Northern tip mind you - to settle and take over the family business. This dedication and loyalty to one's roots gives me hope. I worry about the loss of culture and identity in our homogenous society. I am inspired by my friends' loyalty and commitment to their culture and their home. Being home this last time has also settled some conflicting personal issues for me and helped me decide to also be loyal to my roots. That's why next year, I'll be introducing my past to my children, when I take them to PEI for the summer. They'll meet a whole family they didn't know they had, play in the ocean, pet farm animals and eat garden-fresh vegetables. They will help keep my past alive, and also help bring it into the future.