“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” – Lewis Grizzard

“Come, you’ve got to see this,” said my father before I’d even set my baggage down for my annual visit.”

What is it that’s so urgent? I thought. I ‘d expect an impatience in my mother but not my father. He is the more serene in personality of the two.

“You’ve got to see my heirloom tomatoes. Your brother Scott gave me jillions of seeds of all kinds.” My dad gave me a tour of his garden, with plants in all stages of development.

Over the course of my visit we’d discuss how things were progressing in the garden. There were so many different varieties than what you’d find in the chain-store markets.

Our discussions went something like this as we began to eat the fully developed produce: “l like this one much better. Its much sweeter and less tart. This one is more curvaceous, or pear shaped or kind of heart-shaped. Look at this interesting specimen with unique markings, it will be interesting to see it when it has fully developed.

After a while, it occurred to me that we could have been talking about people in our produce discussions of the traits that had been passed down through generations in the heirloom seeds.

When you write a memoir, it gives you the opportunity to look back at your genealogy to trace and determine where some of your character traits come from. It is a fascinating and educational process.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. Her publications include the EVVY award-winning memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.