The constitution says that we have certain “unalienable” -that is, can’t be separated from – rights. The men (and the woman who raised them, married them, were their sisters and friends) who framed ourconstitution knew something about the people who settled this nation. They understood the forces that drive them to leave: England or Ireland, or Spain or France, Armenia, Bulgaria, Germany, or Poland… They understood because they were raised by those refugees. Yes. They were refugees. From oppression, poverty, persecution, a disgust with class distinctions, a disgust of haves and have nots, leaders who cared more about their own comforts than about the people they served. They came for freedom. The American Dream isn’t, I believe, so much about being rich (although that’s part of it), it’s about being master of ones’ own destiny. 

Our forebears came here for a fierce desire, which they pursued, and raised their children to pursue. They forged a nation, and in doing so, forged US; the children of that nation.

What legacy do I see from the Hembrees in my past? I see Faith, with a capital F. I see a deep belief in land. I see a desire to run things. (Bossy, proud, always right- yeah, that kind of desire to run things!) I also see a deep love of kin. Pride of a family name that runs deep, that sets certain expectations for standards of behavior. With faith in God the cornerstone.