The Weekly Photo Challenge is Endurance.
I went to the family archives to find the photo my father labeled “sugar Beets.”
This photo from the mid-1920’s helps me to understand this part of my family’s history.
Cathy’s grandparents, Josefina and Jose , and her uncle, Lupe sit atop a pile of sugar beets. Photo is from the mid-1920’s.
When I asked my father about this photo he explained his parents, Jose and Josefina are sitting on a pile of sugar beets because they worked in the fields to harvest the crop. They might be waiting for their day’s pay. My Uncle Lupe is with them.
My grandmother also happens to be pregnant with my aunt at the time this photo was taken!
In order to provide for their family, my grandparents migrated from region to region following the harvests for various crops.
Because of their constant moving, my aunts and uncles were all born in different areas of the United States such as Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. The family finally settled in California.
I look at this picture and have a hard time imagining what it must have been like to have a toddler, be expecting another child, and at the same time work in a field harvesting crops.
In addition, my grandfather had limitations. A few years earlier he had lost a leg in an accident. Despite the challenge of having a wooden leg he worked in the fields alongside my grandmother.
I looked at the sugar beets – rooted in the ground then uprooted by my grandparents.
Endurance…my grandparents didn’t always have the opportunities to be rooted in one location. They were constantly moving, laboring in the fields, their little ones in tow.
Still, they built their family one journey at a time.
They gave me my roots.
Endurance, indeed.
I've always enjoyed writing and finally decided it was time to blog! As part of my profession I write every day, but I'm now trying to take the time to write creatively. My family and friends have been very encouraging as there is little that is written down in the way of a family chronicle. This is a favorite topic of mine! In addition to family history, I write about life, family, friends and faith. My husband is a full-time parent to our special needs daughter. I’ve explored this topic, too. I also enjoy music, crocheting, reading and relaxing with my family. I hope you enjoy what I have to offer!
Comments from Cathy 
And your bravery and persistence. 😉
Interesting, Cathy. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Gemma! That they did! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
[…] To see another post that shows my grandparents working the fields in the 1920’s, see Endurance – “Sugar Beets.” […]
Hi Cathy,
In addition to working in the fields, my father was the president of the PTA in Saticoy. The name of our school was Agua Manantial and it had grades from Kinder to 8th grade. Your uncle Lupe, myself and your dad all went there before we went to live in Mexico in late 1939.
Hi Aunt Sheila! Thank-you for adding to this story! You helped to fill a gap by also sharing when the family moved to Mexico. As always I look forward to learning more. Love, Cathy