With vivid imagery of her past, Champagne artfully weaves together heart-felt, gut wrenching stories from a melancholy girl who gives deep thought and insights of past family experiences growing up in Philadelphia, and summers spent Charleston, South Carolina with her grandmother, Inez. Known to wear her heart on her sleeve, Champagne shares the joys and pains of her childhood experiences through a journey of self-discovery, significance, and guidance. At the helm was Inez, the matriarch. Although she was known for raising other family members’ children, she didn’t raise one, her first born child, Champagne’s own mother. Champagne sets out to explore the tradition of raising others children, the meaning behind it all, the revealing stories of acceptance, rejection, and saving face. Champagne inspires others to write their family story, as a way to preserve history for future generations. As you reunite with your past and learn to value your connections, you will understand, embrace, and connect to your past, as you journey into the future. It was the great philosopher Socrates who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”.