Why?
Why? Why?!?
That
is the one question many of my friends, colleagues and others asked
each time I told them I was planning a cross country trip with my
wife, Jasmine, and two of my children,
Levi-Joseph and Opal.
I
answered with a basic question...
Why
not?
It
was surprising that so many people thought our plan was crazy.
For
me, it seemed like driving across country was what you did with your
kids in the summer. Growing up, I remember zig-zagging the States in
the back seat of our family car. In fact, I was introduced to this
country framed through the window of our Chevy Impala. It was the
best of times.
Back
then, summer meant driving to Arizona and LA to visit our relatives.
My memory of walking on the tiny foundation of the home my mother
grew up in near Williams, AZ left an impression. Later I climbed
desert trees with my cousin Frankie and can still recall the snapshot
someone took of us. Then there was the time I spit sunflower seeds,
for what seemed like hours, off the porch of my Aunt's bungalow in
Long Beach, CA. I remember returning to Virginia and crossing the
Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel - my little cousin Jennifer pushed a
button that sent the trunk flying open. Unable to pull over we kept
moving along - thankfully, nothing was lost.
What
may have seemed like insignificant moments at the time, I found were
actually the foundation of my childhood memories. Each trip offered
insight and introductions to a larger unknown world. For a young
child, it was magic.
It
was in these reflections that I was inspired to give my children,
too, an American Summer.
*Click on any image to view larger or begin slideshow. Visit my site to view the complete essay.
