My Purpose ~ — My Banyan Roots

What’s my reason? What is the point of it all? I’ve spent a little over a decade linking together my loose ended thoughts and passions in this world, trying to figure out why I like what I like and how to pull those favorite things into a fulfilling career in photography and painting. Time has given me an opportunity to store up and prepare for what would one day be my purpose. My Banyan Roots.

I LOVE a good story, especially if it’s a true story. I remember my Granny telling me about the mud dolls she’d make as a child. I remember my Mother telling me about Great Granny Ollie Mae and that her house sat right behind the church we attended in Kirkwood, MO. I would try to picture what it was like for my mother and uncle to walk on unpaved roads and what that must have looked like as a 5 year old child. All this history and overlapping of shared stories and experiences is so rich and valuable to me and I want to remember it and pass it along to my son.

With ten plus years of time to tie together my ideas, the naming of packages and the business were so important. It began with the package, ‘Seed.’ One evening I sat on my couch and brainstormed while my mother sat across from me. I get giddy when I think about how the name of each package rolled off of my tongue. Our eyes grew big, because we knew this we a meaningful piece to the puzzle of this creation. I knew the I needed to have the word, ‘Root,’ in the title. Advisor and friend Andrew Hutson brainstormed with me and asked if I ever heard of the banyan tree… from there, My Banyan Roots was born.

A scripture and quote that keep me grounded and give me purpose…

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12.

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

~ Marcus Garvey

I have so much to be thankful for. My parents have given me opportunity. Grandparents have paid dues. This is my thank you to them for all they’ve sacrificed.

My hopes are that everyone sees the value in what Banyan Roots is offering. An intimate perspective from a family member or members, a mix of new and old ways to create an album and hold onto your memories through bio, audio, video and photos.