so now that my roots are beginning to come through, they are not the usual dark roots to my blonde highlights that i'm use to. no, these are actually lighter roots! my lighter hair is trying to come back in. so, what's a girl to do? i went today to get my roots covered. darker. again. but i know, without a doubt, my roots will start to show in another 6 weeks or so. it will drive me to the point that i will have to go back in and get them touched up. the color change is fun but it's still a lot of maintenance. no matter what i do to try and cover my roots, they always show back up.
i have other roots that are beginning to show as well. the roots that are planted firmly in me that no one can see. the roots that have grown deep down and are firmly planted deep within me. just the other day, i was paying for pasta in a little noodle shop over in Notting Hill. the lady asked, "will this be all?" and i, without thinking, replied, "yes ma'am". by the look on her face, you would have thought that i said, "yep, that's it, GRANNY!" she was disgusted and offended from what i could tell.
and there are the moments that i run into someone on the street, bumping their shoulder, and quickly say, "i'm so sorry, excuse me".
and then the occasional "y'all" comes out of my mouth. that one is hard to cover up!
oops, my roots are showing.
it was yesterday day that i had a sense of homesickness. it creeps in once in awhile. not very often in this amazingly busy and fun city do i get a chance to feel true homesickness. as a matter of fact, i haven't had homesickness like this since last year around this same time! but on this particular day, i felt it. i sat alone in a great little restaurant and began to cry. for no other reason than the fact that i missed home. oh no, mistye, don't do it, your roots will show! these city slickers can sniff out weakness and they'll come for you! but, of course, no one noticed or said anything to me about the tears. no one attacked.
there are things that i'm starting to realize just how much i love from home. things that i think i took for granted, things that so many take for granted. my roots.
you know, the definition of root is this:
Root. (noun) the part of a plant which attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibers.
our roots are like that of a tree. our roots keep us grounded just like the roots of the tree keep it grounded. they give us nourishment. they keep us fed. you can't usually see the roots, unless they come creeping out (and they sometimes do). roots are strong, they run deep, they can be huge, they can be extremely tiny. but they all play a really big part on what keeps that tree standing when the rains come down, when the harsh winds blow. the roots keep the tree standing tall. the roots allow the tree to look so strong. all those little roots, they go unnoticed by everyone. except the tree. the tree, certainly, must "know" they are there. the roots are what keep the tree ALIVE!
i realized that day as i sat looking out the restaurant window, feeling the homesickness, that my roots are firmly planted. i began to think about the things i love back home.
i love sitting on my back screened-in porch when it rains.
i love the smell of that rain.
i love riding in a car with the windows rolled down.
i love riding around and looking at the tree foliage.
i love sweet tea...and i hardly ever drank it!
i love walking into a room and everyone knows one another.
i love little art festivals.
i love crickets....as long as they are outside...and i can't see them....and they don't jump on me.
i love having four distinct seasons...lasting around 3 months each...we get seasons over here but they all happen in one day. it's a bit tricky to plan for each day.
i love being told to "have a blessed day".
i love going to church on a sunday morning and feeling the fullness in my heart.
i love watching the trees dance in my back yard.
i love being with family and friends in that back yard, eating BBQ and watching the kids run around.
i love hearing, yes, ma'am, fixin to, and y'all.
i love the smell of fresh cut grass.
there are so many things that i can't wait to go back home to. my roots. heath and i are excited to start laying the foundation for our children so that, they too, can begin to grow their roots. roots to plant them firmly in the ground. because we all have roots, we all have a place where we started, a reason that we are who we are. we all have these crazy, beautifully twisted roots that shape us and shift us into become the adults that we are now. i'm excited to have my children grow theirs.
but then, they already are. our children will have roots wherever they are, wherever we are. our children are growing roots, knowing that the world is huge, people are people all over the world. our children's roots are going to be far and wide, greatly exposed to all that God has created.
and then there are the spiritual roots that we have. we are digging them deep. they keep us fed, they keep us strong, keep us standing, keep us nourished.
i have been through a few rough winds and pretty strong storms but my roots are firmly planted. the big ones and the little ones keep me standing tall. my roots keep me ALIVE!
so if my roots tend to come out, i can't be embarrassed. i don't have to rush to cover them up. i have to be proud. i may seem like a softy or a weakling on these city streets at times but i'm tough and i'm mighty.
i have my roots firmly planted.
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| This tree, in Hyde Park, grew right through the concrete ground. There was no stopping this tree from growing! The roots pushed right through. |
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:3
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