How a Bag of Texas Dirt Became a Times Tradition

My brother is the only native Texan in my family. My first child was born in Texas. We were expecting our second in Washington. Two months before I was due, my brother called to tell me he bought a bed for his guest room and wondered if I would like to come and stay so the baby would be born in Texas. I thought my Texas-born husband had put him up to it, but it was his own idea. My dear friend sent us a jar of soil from our house in Austin with this note: In this jar. Roots--may you put yours down in Texas; Limestone--the bedrock of Texas, for strong bones; Leaves from your family tree, an Oak, for long life; and good Texas soil to get you started. At the delivery, the nurse asked us if there were any religious or cultural customs they should know about. We mentioned we had this soil from Texas and would like the baby to put its feet in the soil after it was born. She didn't blink an eye and helped us get a tray to put the dirt and the baby's feet in after he was delivered. I know several other Texans who have done similarly. To all the Texas-haters, Texas is vast and varied and has a wonderful sense of place and an interesting history. It is diverse culturally, socially and politically. Go and visit and I guarantee you will find something you like about it.

I didn't have dirt from Texas in the delivery room (didn't think of that!), but I did name my son, born in California, Austin. You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas outta the girl! This week Austin is visiting his cousins in Austin, getting a taste of the life..

“If a man's from Texas, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him by asking?” – John Gunther ; ) L

My immediate family left Texas between Christmas Day and NYE in 1985, for the northern suburbs of Chicago. At eight and a half, I cried for months about leaving my beloved state. My mother, assuming all states and their citizens exhibited similar state pride, taught us the Illinois state song that winter - and I'm pretty sure I was the only third grader in our school who knew the entire thing. Even then, I determinedly wrote in my diary that I would go back to Texas one day or fly "home" to have my babies be born as Texans. Luckily, life did bring me back home and I'm pleased to be raising a couple of seventh generation Texans. God bless Willie Nelson, queso, bluebonnets, the UT Longhorns, America, and our great state of Texas.

I wasn't born in Texas but I got there as soon as I could.

Luckily when my wife and I faced this situation (at the time living on the upper westside) I fortuitously was offered a job in the town where I grew up -- Houston. Thus the 9th generation of Texicans was born into my family.

We'd be better off as a nation if Texans were a little les chauvinistic about their state, and thought first of their country.

I am a native born Texan...barely. My Dad was in the service stationed at Ft. Bliss, El Paso, TX. My dad used to tell me I was barely born in the United States since the army hospital was about 200 Yards from the Mexican border. I wish I had read this story 9 months ago. My granddaughter was born 8 months ago in Washington state. I told my daughter we would have to get her "naturalized" as soon as possible.

I wish I had known about this 30 years ago. My 3 NYC born children would have had Texas dirt at their birth's had I been this clever. However they have been to the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo enough to get sufficient "dirt" under their feet.

Well, . . .. An interesting story. But of course, all of us from THE CITY (New York, of course) know that you don't need such artificialities as dirt. New York is in the blood. Other places aren't really even cities. (My wife, also a New Yorker, says that I am provincial - but she's not happy when she's not here. And she doesn't even believe that Queens is part of THE city.)

Having visited Texas many time, please let me say the only redeeming part of that state is Austin. Otherwise, it’s a state that worships ignorance and the rich. I’d strongly support Trump’s plan for a wall - if he built in on Texas’ north border.

There is just no place like Texas! My family is seventh generation in our little Texas town and I am very proud!

This story made me cry. When my Texas friend was murdered in Brooklyn, she was buried there. Her mother flew to the funeral with a bag of Texas dirt and sprinkled it on the fresh grave.

Sweet story and also heartbreaking. Born and raised in Texas I have a diehard sense of place about this place that I struggle to identify with today. It is, to me, about Big Bend, bluebonnets in spring, Ann Richards, bats under a bridge, blue swimming holes, Molly Ivins, Fiesta, pine and live oak trees, a cold Lone Star on a white-hot day, rocky hills and scrub brush, LBJ, men who disrespect women, inequality, too much money for some and not enough money for most. It hurts my heart that Texas is a divided place. A place with a mean political spirit. In spite of myself, it is still the place I call home.

I'm a seventh-generation Texan, so my family made sure there was a bag of dirt under my hospital bed in NYC when I gave birth to my son last August. Now I need to work on getting a resolution! Thanks for the tip.

I chuckled when I read this. A real nice general interest story. However as a religious Jew and educator I felt a twinge of sadness... There is a custom among many Jews (not only the Orthodox) wherever buried to put some Jerusalem dirt in the grave; , and when one gets married in the Jewish faith they put ash on the grooms forehead as the Psalmist said "If I forget thee Jerusalem ... etc. " A Texas reference by 2 Jewish names , Schwartz & Chozick (the latter means strong in Hebrew, and to 'make fun of' in Yiddish) an Italian reference, but nothing of Jerusalem.... YEs many of use forgot thee Jerusalem...

Let it be known should someone have a child in Jerusalem, Israel, try to be near the Wailing Wall. As EL PASO is on the exact same Latitude as Jerusalem. Little known fact EL PASO is known as Jerusalem of the West.

As a labor and delivery nurse in NYC, I attended the birth of a baby that was similarly anointed in its first moments of life. As I recall, the Texas dirt was contained in a tin sunglasses container, not a bag. I smiled at the idea then, just as I’m smiling at this article now.

What about a little thought of being citizens of the world? Perhaps, the world will be a better place for all of us no matter where we were born.

I see nothing wrong with this at all. My own parents lived in Kansas when I was born but my mom traveled back to Texas for both my birth and that of my younger sister. I am a "misplaced Texan" who lives in NM and if I'd considered a baggie of dirt for my son, he too would have been "born" Texas. (My husband, who was born and raised in NM, would have simply rolled his eyes having long ago accepted that Texans are a proud, and perhaps slightly obnoxious, group of people.)

My grandson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to my Texas-born daughter and her Swedish husband. I made sure there was Texas dirt in the delivery room!

Love this story, too, and I've always said I would do the same if I ever had a baby out of state. Texas pride runs deep for its native daughters and sons, even if we're not always sure why or don't agree with the state's trends, politics, or our neighbors.

Great story. I knew your dad, Babe, in the 90’s and always enjoyed his stories.

I absolutely love this story. I wasn't born in Texas, but I spent about a quarter-century there. My wife was born and raised there. Our son was born there. A connection to place is fundamental to who we are. A connection to Texas is braggin' rights. Just ask any Texan (or even some of us would-be's).