For me, my "tierra" is Arizona, especially Eloy, Arizona and nothing means home to me like this site.
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| Picacho Peak - Picacho, Arizona |
My cousin Stella posted the photo below on her Facebook page and wrote, "I know they say you can't go home again, but I did this weekend...literally! Got to go thru my grandparents house....the house that built me. Everything inside was still the same. So sad and yet so blessed for all the memories that came flooding back. Thank you Norrie, Alicia and Lisa for being there as well."
Forgive me for stealing this photo Stella, but it is perfect, just as your words above were perfect! This is the home that built me too.
As cousin Stella mentioned she was grateful to relive this moment with her cousins Norrie, Lisa and me, Alicia. So to close a picture of us four cousins and our beautiful Tia Ninfa that was a second mother to us all growing up.
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| Left to Right - Cousin Stella, Aunt Ninfa, Cousin Norrie, Sister Lisa and winner of the whitest leg ever Me, Alicia |
That was lovely! You are so lucky to be able to re-visit your Tierra and to connect with your cousins and your aunt. Precious memories, precious times!
ReplyDeleteI love going to Arizona. It's a whole different lifestyle there. None of the hustle and bustle of California. But of course when we go there we are in vacation mode to maybe that's why we don't feel stressed there. I'll be writing several more posts about my visit there and I hope you enjoy the others as well. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting :)
DeleteI love the view of the Picacho Peak. Things out west are so much bigger than here in the east. I am not sure that I have a tierra. The Mojave would probably be as close as I ever got. My grandfather's farm was before I went in the service, but the family sold it and it was strip-mined. The house remains but barn and all the out buildings are gone and what was once fertile fields is now a shale pile with scrawny pine trees growing on it. I was heart broken the first time I saw it when I got out of the service.
ReplyDeleteNeat contrast between the house of 1954 and now. Lovely post, Alicia. I am glad you were able to spend some time with your family in your tierra!
Thank you Sextant. I thought that was such a great picture of the house and was glad my cousin Stella shared it.
DeleteSometimes it's not seeing the actual physical place, but the memories of fun and family and love. I'm glad our home is still standing but I know my mom has gone back to Texas to her tierra and it's basically just a shack, but the memories come flooding into her heart. I bet you have some great memories on your grandfathers farm.
My tierra was my aunt's home in Buffalo that was sold last year after she died. We moved every few years but going to her house was like going home. Every I looked brought memories of playing with my brother or hanging out with my cousins or just being with my aunt. No beautiful view like your tierra, but one is in my heart for me in that old home.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky with the beautiful view but I'm sure my heart is filled with love for the place shown above because of the time spent with family, cousins, aunts, uncles. I'm glad you have wonderful memories of a place you can call your "tierra" :)
DeleteThe peak looks majestic. I guess there's a lot of hiking and picnicking going on there. It's indeed a sight to remember and cherish. It also has some historical value as there was a battle in the area, during the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteTrue, it is a very historic site and does get a lot of hiking and picnicking. It's a beautiful place!
DeleteThis has made me think, I don't feel a strong pull for my tierra. There is nothing specific here I love outside of friends and family. There are so many lovely spots I love more than where I live in the middle of suburbia with endless houses for views.
ReplyDeleteBut what if you didn't live there? If you lived in another state, would you be drawn back to that little spot in the middle of suburbia? I think maybe we wistfully look back at our "tierra" because it was a better time, a more innocent time, a time of our youth. I remember a few years ago, after buying my mom and dad's house my nephew Isaac came over and brought his girlfriend and I saw them wandering around outside in the backyard so I went out to say hello and Isaac told me, "I hope you don't mind that I'm here Tia Ale, but I just wanted to show my girlfriend where I grew up, where my childhood memories were." To Isaac my house, his grandparents house is his "tierra".
DeleteBeautiful post and so interesting. I wasn't born there, but I will think of Tennessee as my tierra from now on. I love that phrase. My Tierra.
ReplyDeleteHi there JarieLyn, nice to hear from you. It really is a pretty phrase. I remember my dad talking about his tierra in Mexico since I was just a little girl.
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