Family and Hometown Culture
By Beth Wade — July 15, 2025 Writing Workshop
Written during a Speak Up writing community workshop.
What is family? Write about your family.
Family is anyone who shows up to love and support you. Family can be bloodline, but in my case, most of my family is not blood. I am adopted. I was raised by many humans, all of whom had no blood relation to me. They loved me unconditionally as their own. That is family.
This prompt makes me think of a saying many people actually mis-quote that says : “Blood is thicker than water.” This suggests that blood family relationships are more important than other relationships. I read recently that the original historical quote is: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” This version means the connections created through interactions, going to battle for a cause, or experiencing “blood shed” together creates stronger ties between humans than just a bloodline connection.
The original quote changes the entire meaning of the popular quote, which went awry somewhere in a game of telephone. I feel the original quote is more accurate. It matters not who we are born from, or what family we are born into, but more how we create a family with all humans on this planet. Christ identified with all people who do the work of his Father as his brothers and sisters. We are a human family bonded by our shared collective experiences and the ways we love and support each other on our way home. Humans are the adopted family of the Spirit.
The “blood of the covenant” means all the “blood shed” or hard times you go through with people over your lifetime, whether they are your bloodline or not makes no difference. These covenants we create mean more than the “water of the womb”, or our inherited bloodline. If our blood family is unable or unwilling to love and support us, or they choose to hurt us in some way, the original quote helps me feel it’s okay to create boundaries, knowing DNA is not the only thing that defines family. Loving and supporting one another unconditionally needs to be first.
Describe the culture of your hometown.
My hometown. Durham. Well, “Dur’m” for short. Or, the Dirty D if you grew up there. Where’s Durham? It’s part of the North Carolina Triangle of Raleigh and Chapel Hill, but Durham is the smallest and most diverse of the 3 cities. Durham is eclectic and has a lot of affection towards the weird and artsy. I love that about Durham. We have the Bulls Baseball team and the downtown area has been a work in progress for decades. They have done great things to revitalize homes in Durham. We have Duke University, but don’t hold that against us (Go Heels!). Devils need love too and Durham welcomes all types. The guys who wrote Stranger Things on TV Netflix are from Durham. Durham brings the bizarre. One time I saw a man walking a full sized trampoline on his back down Duke Street, which is a 4 lane road. Only in Durham, y’all. Durham has the Eno River, which is beautiful and peaceful. I have good memories growing up and playing on its huge rocks, skipping from one to the next like the river was lava. My mom is in Durham and I’m grateful I grew up there. It gave me small town feels with a healthy blend of races and ethnicities to be immersed in and learn from. I wish all cities could be that diverse. While I admit I wanted to move away from Durham, that was rooted in my need for space to build my own life away from things I had outgrown. I love going back to Durham to visit. Next time you find yourself in Durham, make sure to stop and eat at Bullocks BBQ - it’s the best!