Hold On"She's from an old family."
That was the scuttlebutt about my prominent and respected neighbor when she moved in. I had to smile. Old as opposed to what? Did other families spring up from nowhere in 1919? We're all from equally old families. The difference is that some folks can follow the chain back further than others. More of their generations are still holding hands.
My past, present and future, 1976One of the awesome blessings of being a mother is holding hands with the past and the future at the same time. I love knowing that while we were all cut from the same pattern, I'm the only link. It gives me added purpose.
Thanksgiving at our house, 1976I'm holding onto some interesting characters. Grama was an actress in the old Salt Lake Theater. Great-great Grampa stood on his head on top of a tree. A few greats back is a sheriff responsible for burning a witch in Salem. A pioneer great lost his wife and three children to cholera on the same day, and buried them somewhere on the Nebraska plains. My grampa ran away to the circus when he was five, and to top it off, my grandma and her mother married brothers.
Oma and Grands, 2005.I've got some stories to tell!
Holding hands with the past lets a legacy of love pass through me like electricity,
which gives power to the future.
And it makes my present more meaningful.
A family is forever. Pass it on.
which gives power to the future.
And it makes my present more meaningful.
A family is forever. Pass it on.
My grandma was a seamstress who worked at the theatre in SLC. Maybe she made costumes for your grandma.
ReplyDeleteI also have a cousin who's ex-wife married his brother. We have horror stories and skeletons in the closet too.
That part about the grandma and her mom marrying brothers was interesting! We didn't have anything as interesting as all that. My grandma did endure divorce, back in the 20's (which was unheard of), but then she married a judge and had a good life.
ReplyDeleteThis post touched me so much, Mom! You are a strong link in our family chain. I appreciate so much the time you take to make the past come alive for my children. They know many stories of those who came before them and I think they're blessed with a sense of belonging because of it. Driving through Millcreek with you gave me that same feeling. I felt as though my ancestors' lives didn't happen so long ago. Thanks for being a great history teacher.
ReplyDeleteYou say it so well - knowing your family LINKS is so important. Starting a genealogy journey in our family 20 plus years ago changed me - gave me a wider family and a stronger sense of my my LINKS and gratitude to them.
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