The Soul of a Redhead

     As I mentioned before, I was born with the soul of a redhead.  I am very proudly an Irish-Hillbilly.  My family can document  beginning settled in the hills of the Appalachian mountains since the Revolutionary War and before that we were Irish.  I’m sure you’re familiar with the Irish personality but add 235 years of Hillbilly and you’ve got a real firecracker on your hands.

     Actually, I was an adult before I appreciated what an amazing lineage I have.  My ancestors came to America back when the country was still 13 colonies and settled in the remotest area of what was then the colony of Virginia.  The terrain was unexplored and completely wild.  Farms were carved out of the forest with hand axes and horse drawn plows.  The people who settled there were resilient, strong and believed they could create their own destinies.  They worked hard and spoke their minds.  They organized the Whiskey Rebellion, lived along side of Native Americans, and had their own homes divided by the Civil War.

     My family is astounding.  For example, my paternal grandfather was born in 1899 and at the age of 10 he left school to go to work in the coalmines.  His first job was to lead ponies pulling carts full of coal out of the mine.  He spent his whole life in those deep, dark caverns.  He learned the responsibility of helping to support his family at a young age.  I don’t imagine there was much time for games and dreams in his life.   We are traditionally farmers, miners and a bootlegger or two along the way.  The women were as strong as the men too.  There are no shrinking violets or debutants in my family.  There is a picture of one of my great, great grandmothers sitting astride a horse (not side saddle) in a long skirt with a rifle in her hands.  She was the first woman sheriff in the state of Kentucky.  Mind you, this was back before women could even vote.

     My parents had great foresight.  They appreciated their history but wanted more.  They were married shortly after graduating high school in the 1960's and left the Appalachians for better opportunities.  Their life was not glamorous or easy by today's standards.  My mother was a homemaker and chased two rambunctious little girls around all day as well as keeping her house spotlessly clean.  My father worked two jobs my whole life to support us.  I grew up witnessing their strength everyday.  They worked hard to make sure my sister and I had the room to dream.  With a lineage like that, is it any wonder that I’m a redhead?  I am proud to say that I have become the perfect combination of them both.  Like my mother, I am forthright and vocal when I need to be, but my father’s gentle spirit has taught me how to use my redheadedness like a secret super power.   

     However, I wasn’t always the quintessential redhead though, when I was growing up. I was a complete dork…trust me.  But I’ll tell you about that in my next blog…