I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I love my family. They’ve taught me so many things already and continue to do so more and more each day. This fall we took a Sunday off from going to my grandparent’s farmhouse in Holt, and instead went to Richmond, where we have about 80 acres.
By the way of tradition in my family, at least part of the day was spent hunting for arrowheads and other old Indian artifacts in the creek. Being the designated disappointment to the family, I have yet to find an arrowhead, or even a sliver of one. This particular Sunday, when I reached the entrance to the middle creek, camera in hand and boots on feet, I found that the others were well into their search for lost treasures.
One of my aunts had hung back to search for smooth rocks to add to her garden and I kept pace with her, alternately snapping pictures and searching for cool rocks for her, hoping to stumble onto an arrowhead, just like I do every trip, for as long as my attention span allows. When my patience with rocks wore thin, I sped up and joined the others in my family on their hike through the creek, searching attentively for arrowheads. I continued to snap pictures, instead of crouching and searching.
If it weren’t for my little cousin Ivan’s shouts of glee, I probably would have missed all the excitement. Ivan had found the third arrowhead of the day. Not only had he found the third of the day but it was also the second arrowhead of the day that had been found in perfect condition.
As a nine-year-old, finding a perfect arrowhead is a rare and impressive thing. There was a lot of congratulating him on the find afterwards and many questions as to how a nine year old had found a perfect specimen.
My cousin surprised us all when his answer was simply, “I dug for it.”
Digging was something that none of us had thought to try. With a little extra effort, some faith and maybe a little luck, my little cousin found what I have looked 18 years for, in half that time.
I still haven’t found an arrowhead but next time I know that if I work a little harder and have a little more faith, I can find one.
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I just want to thank all of my relatives and let them know that I appreciate them for all the knowledge that they’ve shared with me over the years and for all the ways they’ve helped me to be a better person.