Celebrating our heritage

When I think of heritage, I think of my Granny Ruby who had green shag carpet and when the kids would descend on her kitchen, she would make us coffee (⅓ coffee, ⅔ cream and sugar). I think of my Grandaddy who grew catfish in a stock tank in the back pasture and chewed the end of the wheat during harvest. I remember my Grandpa that took us to the Viola cemetery on numerous occasions where he proudly showed off the flags he put out marking the different family members and how we were related. I feel my Mama’s face after it was clean at night, cool to the touch and so tight (I wonder what her secret was?).

These memories are my heritage, something that is handed down from person to person, generation to generation. Granny’s milk coffee was a reflection of her own childhood and a connection to what she knew and loved. It came from learning, growing, and adapting to things that maybe on the surface seemed scary, but was a reflection and a hope for the future.

Thankfully as McCookites, we have been privy to a rich heritage filled with amazing people and stories. What started 140 years ago as a small German town has grown into a town filled with families who care about the future of McCook and a community that values the history bestowed upon it. The stories that have shaped and grown McCook have helped it to become a beacon of light from the southwest corner of Nebraska.

When you think of your own heritage, what stories are you leaving behind?