Hi, I’m Tori.
Writer and Content Creator here at Roots and Arrows Homestead.
On this page I’ll be talking a bit about the place that made me, which is a very small town way out in the backwoods of South Carolina. I grew up on many acres out in the country where there are lots of pine trees, of which I have memories from when they were being planted. The town where I call home is so small that there are no red lights, grocery stores, or gas stations. All those things are at least 20 minutes away from my home-place.
Now that I have 4 children of my own and we live far from my hometown, I realize that the place that made me, my home-place, is more a part of who I am than I ever realized.
My roots run deep out in the South Carolina country-side, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
Growing up and even into adulthood, two places that I have ample memories to choose from are the lake and the main park in my hometown. My aunt actually lives on the lake there now and, if you look close, in the top left picture you can see my oldest son hanging over the edge of her porch when he was just over a year old.
Another thing that will always remind me of home is seeing things like the middle picture above in my “memories” album. My Daddy drew (or sketched) that quite a while ago, “Papa’s Cabin In The Hills”. Woodworking is kind of what he is known for; bowls, vases, bows (for shooting arrows), spin tops, etc. So things like that will always remind me of home.
We moved out to what I know as my home-place when I was maybe about 5 years old. I have very few memories of anywhere before that. And for this, I am thankful. I love that all my childhood memories were pretty much made in one static place. This is something that I maybe took for granted while it was happening, but hindsight is always 20/20, am I right?
Going down “the back drive” and circling around to the “front drive” (or vice versa) is something only my family would understand as a long walk, haha. And riding that golf cart (in the middle picture) again is something I dream about doing with all of my kiddos one day.
My home town has grown a lot over the years. For most of my life the town only had one huge park, they now have about 3 in total. The top left is one of the newer parks. A few years ago, when I went back home, my oldest son and I loved going to this park. As you can see in the photo, there were ducks and geese that called that large pond home. They often crossed the pathway, no matter who was around. Also, that gravel walkway really made it feel like I was walking down a backroad right in the middle of town. It was great.
One thing I miss more than anything else, probably goes without saying, is being close to my family. Love y’all <3.
As always, thank you so much for being here and remember to subscribe so you never miss a post!
P.S. – If you pay attention to the bolded words, you will see a glimpse into how I came up with the name and logo for our Homestead.
Learn more about Roots and Arrows Homestead here!
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed Psalms 127: 4-5
