We recently had dinner with neighbors, and the wife spoke to me about her heritage and researching familial lines. She was excited and passionate about it, so I filed it away as something to look into. A couple of weeks later, I decided to fire up Geni again and see if I could buy some help. "Geni, I'd like to buy some family members for $200, please." :) I took the plunge and bought some extra data storage, too, as it seemed I needed it if I wanted to save names and profiles farther back than two generations.
I'm telling you that it has been SO worth it! Until I paid for services, my knowledge of family history only went back to grandparents on my dad's side and great-grandparents on my mom's side. We had NO idea where we came from, though 23andMe gave me some insight into that with regards to regions abroad. I quickly made a command decision to only include parents for my lineage focus as siblings were taking me down unnecessary rabbit holes.
Probably because males get so much attention in regards to "carrying on their genes," I found myself more interested in the women in my lines. I wanted to know more and more. One woman in England had 14 children, each 2 years apart, and she had the first child when she was 21. Her daughter, Townsend, was the 13th child and born when her mother was 47. Townsend was 14 when she married, and her mother was 61 at that time. I can only imagine that her mother was DONE being a mom and taking care of kids- as she still had another at home after Townsend. Townsend delivered a boy before they married, a daughter and then another boy who continues my line. Dr. Edward Davenport was born in 1626, and Townsend died the following year. :'(
I can't help but feel so empowered learning these facts and thinking about these people's lives and stories. For me to be here today, ALL of these people had to survive, procreate, and keep those children alive until childbearing years! My line, obviously, survived the black plague, dysentery, and countless other deathly fates, and I am here today because they persisted, endured, and mustered strength to keep going. Now, I'm sure there's a little luck in there along the way, and I'll take it! It's humbling to think about being such a small part of a huge line of people who were there at the beginning and have continued on since. I feel like I bear this responsibility, however small, to keep going for them and not let it end.
So, before I had my self-pity party on Monday and into part of Tuesday, I was walking around so proudly. I felt like I had the strength of ALL of those men and women inside of me. I had conquered their fears with them, I raised babies alongside them, I worked, moved and learned with them, and I fell in love generation after generation. I'm sure there was misery, heartbreak, disappointment, and despair. But, you know what? They got through it enough to get me here today. I am the doctor, the reverend, the farmer, the mine worker, the soldier, the justice of the peace, and homemakers. I am English, Irish, Welsh, and German- so far. :) I come from a long list of survivors. Amazing.
I walk with a tsunami of hope, strength, and love behind me ready to lay anything to waste that gets in my way. I am filled with this strength thanks to discovery- also thanks to the suggestion of a woman who kindly invited us to dinner after meeting on a hike. Knowing this information at my age makes it especially sweet and meaningful, and I am eager to research each line until its end. For you to read this, it means you come from survivors, too. So, carry that with you and go on and be your badass self!
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Friday, January 4, 2019
What would your one word be?
This morning after finishing a workout, I sat down with friends in the gym and talked for 1.5 hrs. If you know me well, this isn't surprising. ;) At one point I asked if anyone had made resolutions for the new year, especially because our gym just started a nutrition challenge. I noted that I don't really like new year resolutions. I find that if I need to change something, I do it. I don't need to have a date to start. The conversation kind of went on from there and meandered elsewhere.
I didn't really think about the subject matter again until I read something from Melinda Gates. She said that instead of setting resolutions in the new year, she adopts one word for the year... one that encapsulates her wishes for the next 12 months. That totally struck a chord with me, and it seems so simple that it could actually stick! In case you're wondering, her word from last year was "grace," and she even wrote it on a mirror to remind herself. Read her blog post HERE to find out her word for this year and to be inspired by a beautiful woman.
Obviously, I read the comments from people hoping to get "ideas" for myself about good intentions/words. More importantly, I began to think for myself. ;) First of all, I wanted to reflect on my goals as a person. Being at home, it's not like I have a plan for the next 6 months on what I'd like to accomplish in my job. I do well as President of Domestic Affairs, but my daily goals are kind of repetitive or unchanging for days. I strongly desire to keep my children healthy, alive, thriving, and focused on the right things! I anticipate needs, moods, desires from 4 other people each day that in turn shape my daily decisions. Honestly, I've worked so much on being present in the moment that I sometimes have no idea what I need to do the next day or next half of the current day I'm in! (Thank goodness for Google calendar and it syncing in my car to show me a pop-up reminder whenever I get inside.) I balance jumping ahead in my mind and glancing at what's to come with staying grounded in the present to take in and enjoy what little time I have left with my boys.
So, if I'm being straight, my word for the year would have less to do with my "job" and more to do with helping me to become a better person each day. If I strive to be the change I want to see in the world, then the possibilities are endless! ;) I want to see more acceptance, less judgment, more empathy, the absence of inequality, no racism, more tolerance, less selfishness, more open-mindedness, and hear more honesty. I think that list could be in the hundreds, but I've only got a year to work with and need to narrow it down to one word, remember? So, I think I've got my word! As soon as it popped into my mind, I felt peace. I felt a vastness of heart. It's "open."
I'm going to be more open each day in 2019. As I just thought of it, I'm not sure how I'll put it into motion, but it seems to me that it'll spawn different actions depending on circumstance. I could be more open to listening to someone. I could be open to experience and stepping into an uncomfortable or unfamiliar situation. I might open my heart more to those around me or across the globe. Thinking about it, if I led my intentions with being open, I may likely grow my heart, mind, and soul past their current capacity. Now, I think I'll print it out and put it in my frame on my bathroom counter to remind myself.
What would your one word be?
I didn't really think about the subject matter again until I read something from Melinda Gates. She said that instead of setting resolutions in the new year, she adopts one word for the year... one that encapsulates her wishes for the next 12 months. That totally struck a chord with me, and it seems so simple that it could actually stick! In case you're wondering, her word from last year was "grace," and she even wrote it on a mirror to remind herself. Read her blog post HERE to find out her word for this year and to be inspired by a beautiful woman.
Obviously, I read the comments from people hoping to get "ideas" for myself about good intentions/words. More importantly, I began to think for myself. ;) First of all, I wanted to reflect on my goals as a person. Being at home, it's not like I have a plan for the next 6 months on what I'd like to accomplish in my job. I do well as President of Domestic Affairs, but my daily goals are kind of repetitive or unchanging for days. I strongly desire to keep my children healthy, alive, thriving, and focused on the right things! I anticipate needs, moods, desires from 4 other people each day that in turn shape my daily decisions. Honestly, I've worked so much on being present in the moment that I sometimes have no idea what I need to do the next day or next half of the current day I'm in! (Thank goodness for Google calendar and it syncing in my car to show me a pop-up reminder whenever I get inside.) I balance jumping ahead in my mind and glancing at what's to come with staying grounded in the present to take in and enjoy what little time I have left with my boys.
So, if I'm being straight, my word for the year would have less to do with my "job" and more to do with helping me to become a better person each day. If I strive to be the change I want to see in the world, then the possibilities are endless! ;) I want to see more acceptance, less judgment, more empathy, the absence of inequality, no racism, more tolerance, less selfishness, more open-mindedness, and hear more honesty. I think that list could be in the hundreds, but I've only got a year to work with and need to narrow it down to one word, remember? So, I think I've got my word! As soon as it popped into my mind, I felt peace. I felt a vastness of heart. It's "open."
I'm going to be more open each day in 2019. As I just thought of it, I'm not sure how I'll put it into motion, but it seems to me that it'll spawn different actions depending on circumstance. I could be more open to listening to someone. I could be open to experience and stepping into an uncomfortable or unfamiliar situation. I might open my heart more to those around me or across the globe. Thinking about it, if I led my intentions with being open, I may likely grow my heart, mind, and soul past their current capacity. Now, I think I'll print it out and put it in my frame on my bathroom counter to remind myself.
What would your one word be?
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