This is my grandmothers brothers and their father. That was only a few generations back, but I know almost nothing about any of these men.
Gratitude #83 - Sweet Biddies!
11 years ago
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
my story
Tonight I watched Henry Lewis Gates Jr. first installment about well known Americans and their families.
Often this was a family they never really knew.
I watched it twice tonight, and if I get a chance I'll watch it another two or three times and each of the other episodes, if I can.
Our men (now women too) go to war, but wars are so horrible they choose to not tell about their experience, instead living the horrors internally in their remaining years. Those stores go untold and die with them. When our ancestors came from the old country, they often had the same attitude.
One of my great grandfathers came to visit us after I was born. I had a picture of him with my grandmother (his daughter) my mother and me as an infant. Grandpa is holding me and grinning through his huge mustache.
He came out from Nebraska to visit once again when I was 5 or 6. I never met any of the other great grandparents.
One of my sons in law did a lot of work on the family geneiology a few years ago. We have been Americans for 4, 6, 9 generations. One spur he traced back 6 generations, but that person was born in America.
None of this has any meaning except that it raises the same questions in my mind as Dr. Gates was investigating in the families he interviewed. Most of them were 2nd generation Americans.
Where did we come from? What is your family story?
I have a list of names, states and countries (Scotland, Wales, Denmark and perhaps Scotland again). All of those are distant.
So maybe that is why I am going to listen to Yo Yo and Christie and Mehmet and others again and again. Their story is not my story, really, but in a small way it may be.
Often this was a family they never really knew.
I watched it twice tonight, and if I get a chance I'll watch it another two or three times and each of the other episodes, if I can.
Our men (now women too) go to war, but wars are so horrible they choose to not tell about their experience, instead living the horrors internally in their remaining years. Those stores go untold and die with them. When our ancestors came from the old country, they often had the same attitude.
One of my great grandfathers came to visit us after I was born. I had a picture of him with my grandmother (his daughter) my mother and me as an infant. Grandpa is holding me and grinning through his huge mustache.
He came out from Nebraska to visit once again when I was 5 or 6. I never met any of the other great grandparents.
One of my sons in law did a lot of work on the family geneiology a few years ago. We have been Americans for 4, 6, 9 generations. One spur he traced back 6 generations, but that person was born in America.
None of this has any meaning except that it raises the same questions in my mind as Dr. Gates was investigating in the families he interviewed. Most of them were 2nd generation Americans.
Where did we come from? What is your family story?
I have a list of names, states and countries (Scotland, Wales, Denmark and perhaps Scotland again). All of those are distant.
So maybe that is why I am going to listen to Yo Yo and Christie and Mehmet and others again and again. Their story is not my story, really, but in a small way it may be.
oops
Yesterday was the birthday of one of my favorite women.
I got caught up in worrying about Leo and did not write about it. I am sorry.
Dea came into my life a long time ago. She was and is my 3rd daughter and has added a level of joy that has been uniquely hers.
We have had a good life together. I have thousands of wonderful memories of her and our good times. Lucky are those whose path crosses Dea's. They are blessed by her presence.
Have a wonderful day after your birthday my precious one.
I love you.
I got caught up in worrying about Leo and did not write about it. I am sorry.
Dea came into my life a long time ago. She was and is my 3rd daughter and has added a level of joy that has been uniquely hers.
We have had a good life together. I have thousands of wonderful memories of her and our good times. Lucky are those whose path crosses Dea's. They are blessed by her presence.
Have a wonderful day after your birthday my precious one.
I love you.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
leo
Leo has been sick.
He eats little, sleeps a lot and has lost almost half of his weight.
All of this has happened in about a month. We have changed his diet, dialoged with the vet and his assistant, but so far there has not been a visible change.
We are going to meet Lia this weekend. Leo lives with us much of the time, but he “belongs” to Lia. She bought him!
She will take him to see her vet in Portland and see what can be done.
It could be something simple, like a thyroid issue, which is fairly common with his breed. Of course, it could be much more complex, like diabetes or worse.
There are a few churches in the world that encourage people to bring their pets to be blessed. I am sure that God cares for his little creatures even as he cares for us.
So I say a prayer for Leo.
He eats little, sleeps a lot and has lost almost half of his weight.
All of this has happened in about a month. We have changed his diet, dialoged with the vet and his assistant, but so far there has not been a visible change.
We are going to meet Lia this weekend. Leo lives with us much of the time, but he “belongs” to Lia. She bought him!
She will take him to see her vet in Portland and see what can be done.
It could be something simple, like a thyroid issue, which is fairly common with his breed. Of course, it could be much more complex, like diabetes or worse.
There are a few churches in the world that encourage people to bring their pets to be blessed. I am sure that God cares for his little creatures even as he cares for us.
So I say a prayer for Leo.
Monday, February 8, 2010
can we fix it please
What do we do now?
That our health care system is broken should not be a matter of question. That some one needs to do something would be questioned only by those who are making a fortune like it is. But it is badly broken.
So what happens now?
Looks like nothing will happen, or nothing much. A landslide victory, a huge majority in the legislature is not enough.
Who looses? The whole country. Each of us. You and me. Our grandkids.
I don't really care how it is fixed, I do not care whose plan you use, but soon 1/5 of our national earnings will go to health care, about twice as much as any other industrialized country.
We have been buying bad bread.
But it is better to destroy than fix. It certainly is easier.
Our whole country is like that right now.
We are closer to mob rule than any of us might wish.
That our health care system is broken should not be a matter of question. That some one needs to do something would be questioned only by those who are making a fortune like it is. But it is badly broken.
So what happens now?
Looks like nothing will happen, or nothing much. A landslide victory, a huge majority in the legislature is not enough.
Who looses? The whole country. Each of us. You and me. Our grandkids.
I don't really care how it is fixed, I do not care whose plan you use, but soon 1/5 of our national earnings will go to health care, about twice as much as any other industrialized country.
We have been buying bad bread.
But it is better to destroy than fix. It certainly is easier.
Our whole country is like that right now.
We are closer to mob rule than any of us might wish.
The BIg Book tells a story about a rich old farmer who had more than his barns would hold so he tore them down to build new ones. The story concludes that that very night he was called away, before the barns could be finished and he could benefit.
Be careful where you lay up your treasure, is the stated lesson.
Luke 12:16-21
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