That kind of thing has more value to me than all the slave’s money in the world. That story belongs to you on such a profound level…

I’ve thought a lot about this lately, wealth that no-one can text, treasure that no-one can take away, accomplishments that no-one can tarnish, and your story reminds me of that.

In a way, it makes so much more sense to build up your own connections by building on the ones your family has already established — instead of running off to some new city to start from scratch.

It also amazes me how far we have come from that grandmotherly advice of family coming first. We really don’t seem to value the importance of people in our lives anymore — at least not as much as we value things and so-called accomplishments.

Your post also makes me think of how family and community connections work on rhizome principles where you may not have a direct connection to the skills or goods that you need. But your uncle may know a fellow whose brother has done this or that before. Or your grandmother’s best friend might have worked with a lady who can help you out.

When I read stories about how my g-g-great grandmother Harriet held renown as the best midwife in the county, riding her own horse around delivering babies across the hills of the Ozarks, I think “That marks success — the kind of success I want.” When I think about how many of the lives in that community came out of the womb into Harriet’s hands, how many women trusted their bodies and their children’s first breaths to her skill, then I think “Wow, I bet she had some good connections.”