My American Experience: A New Alabama Home and Freedom to Explore

By Maria Shockley

“I am Miss America!” I said as I stood on the porch of my parents’ newly purchased home, surrounded by my childhood gang on tricycles and bikes. I proudly held a salute to the sky. We were free to roam and dream of being heroes in our own lives. We were still too young to get on the yellow bus but we were aware we had something ahead of us and were part of it. We could be loud and laugh. We could explore the woods and creeks, find sticks with markings, maybe bug trails. We had imagined they were native maps.

And early lessons still resonate: be brave and do not take what does not belong to you. Always make sure your dolls are safe while you’re off to build a fort. Avoid lying, because you will always get in trouble. Parents tell you to ask God when they don’t have the answer. There was a fearlessness in us because we felt safe, and the stories told to us were of people who fought their fear to find a new home.

A Place to Keep Dreaming and Roaming

I came to Alabama almost three years ago, and I am still playing in the woods. I have a gang of ladies I call the “Fabulous Alabama Bingo Gals.” Just yesterday, I was at Buck’s Pocket State Park instead of finding sticks. I find photographs to take. The history here, such as the story of Granny Dollar, reverberates through the wood trails. I found myself stopped by a flooded road. A couple came by me, also taking photos of foaming water washing over the road’s surface.

I love that people here are open and kind to strangers. Plus, with my gray hair I’m not likely to be mistaken for a black bear. We so easily fell into conversation. When they learned that it was my first visit, they offered and were so kind to let me follow them for miles to the other entrance to the park. Another adventure. I made new friends whom I will be happy to see at our Mentone events.

I feel that I have come to an area that has safely preserved its values — freedom to explore in a land where residents take pride in their faith, community, and history.