A Legacy of Faith, Excellence, and Unshakable Roots

Lady Madelyn Patterson, Contributor

There’s something profound about looking back with older eyes on memories that seemed ordinary when you were young. What once felt like simple family visits now reveal themselves as sacred inheritances—moments when legacy was being quietly transferred from weathered hands to eager hearts.

The Geography of Memory

As an Air Force brat, my childhood was painted in the colors of constant movement. New schools, new neighborhoods, new friends every few years. But between assignments, there were anchors—two places that called us home: Quincy, Illinois, where my father’s roots ran deep, and Roswell, New Mexico, where my mother’s family had planted their flag in the high desert.

I lived for those visits. Not just because they meant stability in a life of perpetual motion, but because they meant stories. Real stories, told by real people who had lived through things I could barely imagine.

In Illinois, the basement parties weren’t just gatherings—they were oral history sessions disguised as family fun. My uncles with their trucking business, another raising rabbits (and yes, I learned the hard way they weren’t pets—they were dinner, and it really does taste like chicken). These weren’t just family quirks; they were entrepreneurial spirits making a way when there was no way.

In New Mexico, my great aunt’s home was an art gallery of southwestern beauty. She painted and drew these amazing images that captured not just the landscape but the soul of the high desert. Beautiful and eccentric, she embodied a creative freedom that seemed almost magical to my young eyes. My grandmother, regal and poised, carried herself with a no-nonsense dignity that commanded respect without demanding it. She was grace under pressure personified.

At the time, these were just the adults in my life. Now I see them for what they truly were: pioneers, survivors, entrepreneurs before entrepreneurship was celebrated, artists before art was accessible, leaders before leadership was taught.

The Legacy I Didn’t Know I Was Inheriting

Youth has a way of taking miracles for granted. I didn’t fully appreciate what I was witnessing in those basement gatherings and desert conversations. I was watching people who had created something from nothing, who had built businesses and raised families and maintained dignity in times when the world tried to strip it away.

My parents embodied this legacy daily. Coming from such humble beginnings, they created a life for our family that was marked by excellence, integrity, honor, and love. My sister and I were blessed to experience different cultures, countries, people, and communities. Through all the movement and change, one thing remained constant: family. Not just the people, but the values they carried.

Now, with older eyes and a deeper understanding, I am intentional about discovering more of our history. How did they survive? How did they thrive? How did they maintain their faith when circumstances suggested they should surrender it?

The answers reveal an amazing legacy—entrepreneurs before it was trendy, artists before it was accessible, leaders before it was expected. They were survivors in the truest sense, people who did what was necessary, who labored with their hands and their hearts, whose faith in God carried them through seasons that would have broken lesser spirits.

Shoulders of Strength I don’t take lightly the honor of carrying them with me, especially now. In Room 6835, when they wrote “Jessica” on the whiteboard instead of “Madelyn, “ I felt the strength of generations flowing through me. When cancer tried to rewrite my story, I heard the voices of ancestors who had faced their own battles and emerged victorious.

We come from survivors. Not just people who endured, but people who overcame. People who transformed obstacles into opportunities, who turned setbacks into setups for comebacks, who found ways to thrive when the world expected them to merely survive.

This realization has made my faith immeasurably stronger. The God they served—through segregation and integration, through wars and peace, through poverty and prosperity—is the same God I serve today. Their testimonies become my foundation. Their victories become my inheritance. Their faith becomes my fuel.

Unshakable Roots in Uncertain Times

These generational roots run deeper than I ever imagined. They anchor me when storms try to uproot my faith. They steady me when circumstances try to shake my confidence. They remind me that what I see, what I hear, and what I feel are temporary, but what God has spoken over my life is eternal.

Romans 8:28 isn’t just a verse I quote—it’s a family motto I inherited: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.“ My ancestors lived this truth before I was born. They demonstrated it through their choices, their perseverance, their unwavering faith in God’s sovereignty.” So I will carry that strength from our forefathers and rely on the sovereign power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us peace in the midst of every storm—the peace that surpasses all understanding. This isn’t just personal faith; it’s generational faith, passed down like a sacred heirloom from one generation to the next.

The Legacy Continues Standing on the shoulders of survivors means I don’t have the luxury of giving up. Their sacrifices demand my perseverance. Their faith requires my faithfulness. Their legacy lives through my choices.

When I speak into that microphone on “Can You Hear Me Now?”, I’m not just using my voice—I’m amplifying theirs. When I advocate for the under served and marginalized, I’m continuing their work of making a way when there was no way. When I refuse to let circumstances define my destiny, I’m honoring their example of rising above limitations.

This is what legacy truly means—not just what we inherit, but what we do with the inheritance. Not just the stories we’re told, but the stories we choose to tell. Not just the shoulders we stand on, but the shoulders we provide for those who will come after us.

I am Lady Madelyn Patterson: Faith-Led, Purpose-Driven, Voice-Empowered. But I am also the daughter of survivors, the granddaughter of entrepreneurs, the great-granddaughter of pioneers. Their blood runs through my veins, their strength flows through my spirit, and their God reigns over my life.

The basement parties in Illinois and the desert conversations in New Mexico weren’t just family gatherings—they were legacy transfers. And now it’s my turn to ensure that what was passed to me is passed forward, stronger and more vibrant than ever before.

Your Legacy Reflection

What stories from your family’s past are calling for your attention? What examples of survival and strength have been passed down to you, perhaps unrecognized until now?

Consider the shoulders you stand on—not just the famous names in your family tree, but the everyday heroes who made extraordinary sacrifices. How does their legacy inform your current challenges and opportunities?Most importantly, what legacy are you creating for those who will stand on your shoulders?

How are you ensuring that the faith, strength, and wisdom you’ve inherited will be passed forward, multiplied rather than diminished?

Your roots run deeper than you know. Your legacy is more powerful than you realize. And the God who carried your ancestors through their storms is the same God who will carry you through yours.

Reflection Question: What story from your family’s past gives you strength for today’s challenges? Share it in the comments so we can celebrate the legacy of faith that runs through our community!

Remember, you come from survivors. You carry their strength. And the God they served is the same God who loves you today. Let’s deepen that relationship together.

Lady Madelyn Patterson is a talk show host, filmmaker, and Pastor’s Wife whose journey

through cancer and assault has deepened her faith and expanded her purpose.

“Rooted & Reaching” appears in Ujima Magazine, exploring themes of faith, hope, and perseverance through personal reflection and spiritual insight