Keep Calm and Carry On

we’ve all seen this plastered on shirts, mugs, posters, just about anything that sits still.  And lots of variations on the theme as well.

So when I saw the word this week, I thought of this phrase. (Especially with so much of Great Britain in the news-the big win of the Tour de France yesterday and the upcoming London Olympics-very exciting!) According the world wide web-”The British Ministry of Information originally created the poster, ‘Keep Calm & Carry On’, in the spring of 1939 to the allay the fear of the English population should Germany invade Great Britain.” You can read more about the history of it here & here, its actually quite interesting. And I saw a preview for a new movie that ties in with this story as well–very interesting indeed! But I don’t want to get too off track here….

So I began pondering the theme of carrying on-and I thought of this very quick illustration I did a while back. I was practicing people-and my fav source of inspiration is old family photos.

And you know-she’s not just carrying that baby around, in a literal sense-she’s also carrying on for the next generations. For me, and for my kiddos…& onward

(I think my illo makes her look a little happier than she actually seems in the photo….)

my grandmother's sister

What things-personalities, strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, joy, sorrow, disfunction, traditions, recipes (!) were carried on, and which were left behind?

Which will I carry on, and which will I leave behind?

I don’t want to leave behind my heritage-of an East Texas farming family, hard workers, and proud.

that's my grandmother in the middle

Raising my own family far from the Texas homestead of my grandparents, I strive to keep alive–and carry on--some of the family lore, stories, and values from the past generations.

‘Carry’ is also used in another way here too (as in the British motto)–carry on without complaint-that is a family tradition that continues to do this day, alive and well.  Suck it up. Pull yourself together, and carry on-do not make a fuss. Do not ask for help, do not admit defeat. Above all, independence and strength. Grace under pressure. That may be very British, but its also very East Texas, believe it or not.

my grandparents smooching behind the porch

(btw-what is that kid doing with his head in the barrel?? hmmm?)

SO much to think about with this ONE word! It really got my wheels turning-can you tell?

In what ways do you carry on? What traditions and family stories do you carry on?

“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.- Mahatma Gandhi