My Family Culture

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the surviviors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country's culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. Your are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

1. My Bible- Religion is a major part of my family culture and the bible has a huge influence on our lives. Throughout my entire life, I have turned to the bible to learn God's word, to influence my decision making and to help me through difficult times. My husband or myself read the bible to my children every night before bed. At most major holidays we bring the bible out and read scriptures before praying and eating. The bible is at the center of my family culture and I would want it that way anywhere in the world I lived.

2.Photo Album - The second item I would take with me would be a photo album with photos of my family, and friends and especially my children as they have grown from infants to the present. The photos would remind me of the holidays and traditions we practice such as decorating a Christmas Tree, having a Birthday party for Jesus, dressing up for Halloween, Trick-or-Treating, coloring Easter eggs, and watching fire crackers go off at the annual ballgame party. 

3.Literature- Reading & Music are very important parts of my family culture. We surround our home with various types of reading literature and also music. Our children are encouraged to read and learn how to play a variety of instruments. However, if we went to another country, I'm sure we could adapt to the different types of music they play in their culture. However, it would be hard to replace some of the classics like- Little Women, Pride & Prejudice, Oliver Twist, Moby Dick, A Christmas Carol and so forth. Taking any one of these would satisfy my need to read a richly entertaining novel to my children. My favorite would be The Secret Garden.

If upon arrival, I was told that I could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items I brought- The one item I would choose would be the bible. The bible cannot be replaced by any other personal item I have. 

Whilst I would never hope for a major catastrophe that completely devastated the infrastructure of my country, the idea of giving up most of my personal possessions and living a slower lifestyle seems intriguing. At this point in our lives, my husband and I fit into the stereotypical description of middle class Americans with young children. We both work busy jobs, volunteer at church, coach baseball, operate a thriving online business, attend church, run our children all over town and on and on and on. We are living the "American Dream" and I count my blessing often. However, simplifying our lives and spending more quiet downtime sounds very desirable. After graduate school, I am hoping to embrace downtime for often.