Hearts, Home, and Hope

One of the first slides I scanned is this image of our grandparent's home.  Built in about 1948, this is the home that served to connect our family members to one another.

Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great grandparents all gathered here. Together, vivid memories were created of a family who loved, laughed, worked and played together. For those of us old enough to remember, this was a time and a place that we recall with great fondness.

In about 1960, the Tennessee Valley Authority developed a plan to build a dam  in our county with the intent to prevent flooding. Then, to keep residents safe, the TVA purchased properties that it believed would be in the new flood plane.  This property was one of the many purchased by the TVA.

The dam was built. This building and many others were demolished by the TVA.  Sadly, the destruction of this building eliminated more than the physical property.

The family relocated to a "new" town. Those close ties that had once served to connect us to one another became tangled. Feelings were hurt. Motivations misread. Anger developed and endured. We became separated from one another by what has seemed to be an insurmountable gulf.  Each of us has seemed to accept the distance as something that must be preserved. Distrust has seemed to be our legacy.

I'm rebelling. 

I refuse to continue the tradition of isolation.

This beautiful image of our family's home is a reminder that we must never give up hope for reconciliation. I remember a family that once was close. I remember a family that celebrated together. I have hope that in each of our hearts still remains a shared yearning for home.