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| The Family Tree Life wasn't always easy, But she never did complain; Though I saw her shed a leaf or two When cold Novembers came. |
| How her arms spread wide And welcomed every weary nesting soul, Vast numbers took their comfort there, In deep December's snow. |
| When August's sun beat down on me, I rested 'neath her shade; And warmed myself in winter With the firewood that she gave. |
| I played beneath the shelter Of her strong and sturdy limbs; Swung from her branches happily With all my childhood friends. |
| In her bark, I carved initials Of those sweethearts long forgot; From her branches, hung my medals, And hid my secrets in her knots. |
| From her seeds, I grew an orchard, In her leaves, I made a bed; And when I thought to give up hope, She whispered to me, "Forge ahead." |
| I gaze now through her branches, Past where human eyes can see; And every bough uncovered, Tells that much more of me. |
| And I proudly bear the marking Of her awesome history; She started but a seedling... And became my family tree. -- Author Unknown |
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| I like the poem below, "Family Tree," very much and I believe it to be truer than most of us realize. It was only after getting involved in genealogy that I came to recognize how much we are shaped by, not only our present-day families, but by the ancestors on the branches of our family trees. The photos today are from the three countries that take up the most space on my own family tree: England, Scotland and Ireland (with apologies to Wales & Switzerland, two of the smaller branches that, while not represented here, are, also, part of my family history!). If you've never done any family research, I highly recommend it. But, watch out, it can become slightly addictive. :-) Enjoy, Nancy |
| The Family Tree |
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| A man finds room in a few square inches of his face for the traits of all his ancestors, for the expression of all his history, and his wants. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| We are all omnibuses in which our ancestors ride, and every now and then, one of them sticks his head out and embarrasses us. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes |
| To forget one's ancestors is to be a tree without a root. -- Chinese Proverb |
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| This was originally a Friday's Journal page |