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Family Tree
A good family tree,
offers shade from the heat,
fruit to nuture,
roots for comfort and security,
tall branches from which to see tomorrow, and
a swing from which we may launch ourselves into life.
(Author Unknown)
Strangers In The Box
Come look with me inside this drawer,
In this box I've often seen,
At the pictures black and white,
Faces proud, still, and serene.
I wish I knew the people,
These strangers in the box.
Their names and all their memories,
Are lost among my socks.
I wonder what their lives were like.
How did they spend their days?
What about their special times?
I'll never know their ways.
If only someone had taken time,
To tell, who, where, and when,
These faces of my heritage,
Would come to life again.
Could this become the fate,
Of the pictures we take today?
The faces and the memories,
Someday to be passed away?
Take time to save your stories,
Seize the opportunity when it knocks.
Or someday you and yours,
Could be strangers in a box.
Beatitudes of a Family Genealogist
Blessed are the great grandmothers
who hoarded newspaper clippings and old letters.
For they tell the story of their time.
Blessed are all the grandfathers
who filed every legal document.
For this provides proof.
Blessed are grandmothers who
preserved family Bibles and diaries.
For this is our heritage.
Blessed are fathers who
elect officials that answer letters of inquiry.
For some, they are the only link to the past.
Blessed are mothers who
relate family traditions and legends to the family.
For one of her children will surely remember.
Blessed are the relatives who
fill in family sheets with extra data.
For them we owe the family history.
Blessed is any family whose members
strive for the preservation of records.
For theirs is a labor of love.
Blessed are the children who will never say;
"Grandma, you have told that old story twice today."
Your Name
You got it from your father
It was all he had to give.
So it's yours to use and cherish
for as long as you live.
If you lose the watch he gave you
It can always be replaced,
But a black mark on your name, Son,
Can never be erased.
It was clean the day you took it
And a worthy name to bear.
When he got it from his father
There was no dishonor there.
So make sure you guard it wisely
After all is said and done.
You'll be glad the name is spotless
When you give it to your son.
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Like branches on a tree,
our lives may grow
in different directions,
but our roots remain as one.
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