The long awaited day finally arrived! My Mom's family genealogy books were delivered this afternoon after nine long waitful months from type-set to published book. For those of you who may not know, my mother has been a "dates and name recorder" for our family tree for more than 20 years, adding information when ever she sought it out or it fell across her path. Genealogy has been her passion for years. These books were a grand hobby put in print. Today was a momentous occasion!! Eighty something boxes, heavy ones at that, were deposited in the backyard until they could be relocated and stored. Just take a look at my Dad hard at work (it didn't help that the temps were 90 and humid!) lifting and pushing those crazy boxes!
Nearly all of the boxes could swallow my Mom whole. This is about two-thirds of the shipment, nearly as high as she is! It was a wonder that we were able to lift and push all of these into the house or van for the trip to the upcoming reunion this weekend!
This afternoon, after returning home from a strenuous box-lifting workout, I snapped a few pics of my little mini me history nut, so proud of his Grandma's book. It really shows alot - when you think of size. The book maintains nearly 1200 pages and weighs almost 10 lbs!! It's all Brandan can do to hold it up! Here he used his knee to balance...
...but he put his muscles to use as he lifted it up to show the girth of this baby!!
Overall, It was a very happy day and we were proud to see it come. I am now published, too, in a sense. I was able to contribute to the book when I wrote the FOREWORD. It comes from the heart, and really says alot about why I am who I am today.
Nearly all of the boxes could swallow my Mom whole. This is about two-thirds of the shipment, nearly as high as she is! It was a wonder that we were able to lift and push all of these into the house or van for the trip to the upcoming reunion this weekend!
This afternoon, after returning home from a strenuous box-lifting workout, I snapped a few pics of my little mini me history nut, so proud of his Grandma's book. It really shows alot - when you think of size. The book maintains nearly 1200 pages and weighs almost 10 lbs!! It's all Brandan can do to hold it up! Here he used his knee to balance...
...but he put his muscles to use as he lifted it up to show the girth of this baby!!
Overall, It was a very happy day and we were proud to see it come. I am now published, too, in a sense. I was able to contribute to the book when I wrote the FOREWORD. It comes from the heart, and really says alot about why I am who I am today.sample of the FOREWORD from the book
"Many a journey begins with one foot forward. A journey of 10,000 miles is quite an accomplishment, but a journey through 10,000 names, in which each is tied to another, is a remarkable event. I have stood sideline to history my entire life; through the words of my grandfather, Gilliam Loy, hidden piles high in ancestral pictures, and knee deep in the grasses of old cemeteries full of broken and unmarked stones. My passion was handed down to me, for I was fortunate to have stories told to me and repeated time and time again by my mother and grandfather. These are the journeys that every descendant should pay witness to. When my mother began to record the names and dates of our relatives, I had barely broken into double digits, but I understood that this information was tied to me; people who I may not have ever met, but shared my lineage, a common blood line.
There will always be the soul who does not find value in the past. History is a task that does not enlighten every spirit. But it is here where the past must be respected, shared, and carried on so that each person can move forward beyond the footsteps of their forefathers and tread on a path that is all their own. In a world where determination is half the battle of deciding how the future will play out, everyone must have the dignity to recite the names of the ancestral roots that guided them to the land they call home today.
The pages that lie ahead can be mere names and dates to the untrained eye, but the power breathes within the human connection that allows one to know another, and the ability to recognize that fate was choreographed by great efforts and struggles of those we will never meet. The funniest story that I encountered throughout my mother’s journey to document our history was one of age and time. Most often, when introduced to someone my age, I would be told that this was my fourth cousin, to my disbelief. Ah, but the story of time tells that my grandfather was the last born of fifteen children, my mother the last born of eight, and I came along many years later allowing my cousins to gain time and age upon me. These are the unique situations that present themselves if we dare to venture along the path that was envisioned for us.
It is of great consequence to those who chose not to carry on the names of ancestors that came before them, for they choose to navigate through a forest of unyielding branches that will be unidentifiable for the next generation to come. Proceed into these pages to educate our descendants, and facilitate the passion for knowing that where you come from will lay the brickwork for the path that carries you towards the future."
There will always be the soul who does not find value in the past. History is a task that does not enlighten every spirit. But it is here where the past must be respected, shared, and carried on so that each person can move forward beyond the footsteps of their forefathers and tread on a path that is all their own. In a world where determination is half the battle of deciding how the future will play out, everyone must have the dignity to recite the names of the ancestral roots that guided them to the land they call home today.
The pages that lie ahead can be mere names and dates to the untrained eye, but the power breathes within the human connection that allows one to know another, and the ability to recognize that fate was choreographed by great efforts and struggles of those we will never meet. The funniest story that I encountered throughout my mother’s journey to document our history was one of age and time. Most often, when introduced to someone my age, I would be told that this was my fourth cousin, to my disbelief. Ah, but the story of time tells that my grandfather was the last born of fifteen children, my mother the last born of eight, and I came along many years later allowing my cousins to gain time and age upon me. These are the unique situations that present themselves if we dare to venture along the path that was envisioned for us.
It is of great consequence to those who chose not to carry on the names of ancestors that came before them, for they choose to navigate through a forest of unyielding branches that will be unidentifiable for the next generation to come. Proceed into these pages to educate our descendants, and facilitate the passion for knowing that where you come from will lay the brickwork for the path that carries you towards the future."
Hmmm...maybe I was a little winded, but my intentions were stated. If you just read through all of that...thank you for taking the time to do so. I am very proud of my Mom, and glad I got to share this day with her!!
3 comments:
well written Candi! Great pictures and Brandon is just adorable holding that book so proudly!
Oh, i am the 500th visitor and i love that Kid Rock song!
WOW! You amaze me girl, that was beautifully written and soooooooo heartfelt! Love it, and your Mom is TOTALLY adorable standing in the midst of all the boxes. I can't wait to hear what your family thinks of her work!!!
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