Julia Patterson

Julia 


Ever wish you could step back in time? I wish I could step back and climb inside the mind of this woman. I wouldn't want to become her, per se. I'd just want to sit across from her and listen.

They called her "Mama Julia." She's my great grandmother. I wish I could talk to her some kind of way. Find out how she loved and lived. Walk some of the same steps she did. Listen to how others spoke to her or viewed her from afar. What did she listen to? Did she have a favorite song? Did she smile a lot? Did she speak often or was she reserved? Her eyes have a softness about them as if she were a little bit shy. Maybe she didn't really want to take the picture but I bet once she saw it, she smiled. I wonder if she covered her face or allowed others to witness her pleasantly surprised reaction? Somebody probably told her she was beautiful...

I wonder if her looks were a hindrance or did it open doors for her? How did folks react to her complexion? Where did she work and where did she play? Was she a church going woman? Did the men stare at her all the time as she sat while fanning herself on a hot Texas, Sunday morning? I wish I could step back and find her... Listen and observe her every move... Julia Patterson must've been a very interesting woman. Perhaps she's the inspiration for a story I wrote recently. A very special story, which I hope to be my next book. I found the contemporary inspiration and maybe Mama Julia is the past...