Cultural Artifact: What Connects Us 2gether?????

When it comes to posting a blog I always rely on my wife to do the blogging.  Because this is my first time to write and post to a blog I am very nervous.  I am hoping that I can accurately describe through my words the feelings I am having towards the topic of family and my cultural artifact.

Family is such an important group.  Family is what makes us who we are and really directs us on our path of life.  There are so many values that define who we are that originated from that family unit.  In my family unit I had the odd opportunity to experience both a successful home and a broken home.  My father grew up in the small town of Bedford Wyoming.  He was raised to work hard and be smart about preparing for the future.  He was taught to be ahead of the curve and to expect the worse.  Because he was brought up this way I was fortunate to experience first hand how hard work leads to a financially successful life.  He had a great job that paid him more money than the national average.  However, even though he made a lot more money than most, he was one of the most frugal individuals I have ever seen.  He didn't want us to grow up spoiled and expecting everything to be given to us.  Because of that I have learned to establish my own success and determine on my own how successful I want to be.  On the other hand my mother grew up in Phoenix Arizona in an extremely abusive home.  Due to this upbringing, it unfortunately carried over to my childhood.  It was very difficult to grow up in a home that was not only successful but also extremely broken. Where I grew up in a partially broken home I am very cautious about trusting people and often times I have a hard time to forgive others.  I had the best and worst childhood experience all at the same time.

I never had the opportunity to grow up knowing my extended family, so when my grandmother presented to me one day my grandfather's belts and belt buckles I felt finally for the first time a connection to my extended family.  At that point I felt that despite not knowing many of my extended family, an expression of love.  I feel that through my grandfather's belts and buckles that I knew him.  I feel that if he were still alive that him and I would have been best friends.  I take great pride in those cultural artifacts.