Things Found

What was left behind was the family politics.

What was left behind were the traditions that were no longer relevant but had yet to be discarded.

What was left behind was the nostalgia that seeped into every conversation.

What was left behind was homogeniety of culture, religion, and people.

What was left behind was the isolation of country life.

What was left behind were the meals you grew up on that never changed from day to day.

What was left behind was the collective memory of your past, usually the things you wished they wouldn't remember.

What was left behind was the misdeeds of your ancestors, their prejudices, and their narrow worldview.

What was left behind was the place you were supposed to belong, but never really did.

What was left behind was who you were supposed to be because that's who your parents and grandparents had been. 

What was found was a world that was challenging and exhilarating, so you could grow up and move on.