My Family Culture

            Culture gives people a sense of comfort and helps them to build self-confidence and self-esteem (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Without the comforts of my culture if I were to ever be left in a catastrophic situation, I would be thankful to be able to bring three items which represent my family’s culture and values.

            The first item I would bring is my wedding collage album. This album is a 50 page album which has numerous pictures on each page. Every important friendships, pet (yes, I took pictures with my fur babies) and family member are depicted in this album, including lost loved ones. This album represents my family’s culture because it shows our connectedness and support for each other, especially throughout special events in our lives. I would explain to other individuals how this alum is meaningful to me because it shows the individuals who helped raised me and guide me throughout my life, as well as pictures which show my childhood home. Without the people in this album, I would not be the person I am today.

            Another item I would bring with me is a ceramic angel which was painted by my great-grandmother prior to her passing. My great-grandma was an administrator and educator for over 30 years and lived life with enthusiasm for over 100 years.  I would explain this piece to others as a piece which holds sentimental meaning because my great-grandma was the person who inspired me to go into education and would always call me her ‘little angel.’ She painted this angel for me and every time I see it, it reminds me of the special person she was and the guardian angel I have in my life.

            The final item I would bring would be a replica of my baby blanket which my mom had made for me when I was in my teens. This blanket is identical to the one my great-grandmother had bought for me that I could not live without as a baby and I had it hanging on my wall in my childhood home up until the time I moved out. I would explain to others how this blanket represents the comfort and security I felt growing up because I knew my great-grandma and mom put a lot of thought into this gift. It is a gift I hope to use as my first child’s baby blanket so it holds a lot of sentimental value to me.

            If I were told I could only keep one personal item, I would keep my wedding album. This album represents a lifetime of memories as I reflect upon each special person, pet and item within it, along with memories of the most significant day in my life. While I would be saddened to let the angel and blanket go, in my heart I would know these are only ‘items’ and that the memories of my great-grandma are forever locked in my heart and she would help me through this new journey.

            An insight I gained about myself as a result of this exercise was how important the memories I have are over the materialistic items I have. It was hard at first for me to choose specific items beyond the wedding album because it is the people and relationships I have in my life which hold the most meaning over anything else for me. I found this interesting because I tend to keep many items representing people, yet it is simple pictures and memories which hold more significance for me in my life.

  Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). EDUC 6162 Course Media. Family

cultures: Dynamic interactions Baltimore, MD. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4732505_1%26url%3D.