I have fond memories of spending hours frolicking around the farm with my granddaddy. Make no mistake though, he took full advantage of his young, eager helpers and did task my twin sister and I with chores to be completed before we went inside for the day. Some chores were more fun than others, but it didn’t matter. I loved being in his world.

When my granddad transitioned in 2013, I was left with nothing of him except his cellphone service bill that I’d taken responsibility for years prior. My grandma joined him 8 years later and I was determined to have a different survivor experience this time. I didn’t receive anything of monetary value, but I had managed to scavenge some keepsakes of my grandparents before their home was sold. I have a small collection of meaningful items to remember them and our life together.

One of the items in my collection are some old seeds my sister found in a repurposed container (as Pops often did😅). The seeds weren’t labeled, but we knew them to be okra. We had no idea how old the seeds were or if they were still viable, but I set out on a mission to find out.

My first year trying to grow Pops’ okra resulted in approximately ten pods. Considering the fact that the seeds were likely to be at least 20 years old, I was pleasantly surprised by the harvest. They showed me that they (and Pops) were still very much alive. Ten pods is not a lot of okra, but it is a lot of seeds. Each seed holds a story of history, ancestry, survived environment, and expressed experiences. I saved every single pod to harvest the seeds for next year.

This past summer, I focused on growing more seed. I sowed Leroy’s Legacy heirloom okra on any patch of bare earth and harvested seed pods all season. This winter, I’ve been deep into processing more okra seeds than I ever thought possible. I found myself sometimes overwhelmed, but always grateful. Now, my sister and I have enough seeds to grow for our lifetime.

I believe he knew…that one day his girls would sow his seeds and keep his memory alive. This is my inheritance. THIS is generational wealth.