Walking in Memphis

Over two months later, I’m in a headspace where I feel I can really reflect on this trip. Prior to this visit and during, my full-time job had made it’s way back into the forefront of my mind and started occupying more space in my mind that it had previously. That said, I’m on the other side of that and ready to keep the “creative juices flowing”, as they say. 

I went to Memphis with great intentions and expectations. I wanted to celebrate my aunt and her wedding and to get a deeper understanding of my family’s beginnings and where the Jones’ origin story began. 

We spent one afternoon before the wedding driving through the neighborhood where my mom grew up and driving past the storefronts that my grandpa used to own and run. It was an experience that I will remember forever; my oldest brother and myself both hearing stories that neither of us had ever heard before from our cousin who grew up in the area. I spent majority of that trip listening to the stories being shared and the sharing moments with cousins and siblings, and aunts and new uncles. 

The photos above are from the first full day we had in Memphis. We walked around downtown, up and down Beale Street and back to the riverfront. Despite the weather (there was an ice storm that shut the city down) and the time of week we visited (we learned that it is best to visit between after Thursday-Saturday if we want to see the city at it’s full potential), I loved Memphis. Being able to see it with my own eyes after hearing stories about it for so long filled a space in my heart that I didn’t know needed filling.