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Wayside_Wisdom Heard Along the Way
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July 31,2005 The past several weeks have been a time of renewing family connections. We’ve been reminded over and over again how blessed we both are with loving family, both present and past. Bruce’s siblings and their families joined with several cousins to celebrate the wedding of a cousin’s son in Elkhart IN on August 6. What a wonderful time of visiting we had Saturday night after the wedding as ten of us gathered in the living room of our fifth wheel to eat and reminisce and laugh together! The following day, we enjoyed the annual gathering of family and descendants of Mary Sue’s grandfather, Harvey Bowers, held in North Manchester IN. Each year the crowd that gathers gets smaller and younger; only 2 of his 8 children are still living, one in such frail health she cannot travel. But grandchildren and great-grandchildren, spouses and children still enjoy gathering to remember the past and catch up with each other’s present. Two other events reminded us powerfully that family also includes those who have passed from this life to the next. We spent several hours one morning sorting through half a dozen boxes of things that had belonged to Mary Sue’s sister, Betty, who died of cancer nearly 25 years ago. Her husband’s wife had found them in the attic of their home as she was clearing out his things after his death. Finding Betty’s wedding dress, some of her favorite jewelry, cards of condolence at the death of her baby daughter reminded us again that eternal life also exists in the memories of your loved ones. The other re-connecting of family ties occurred in Macoupin County, Illinois. We chose to stay in a lovely state park not far from Girard and Virden out of curiosity. Mary Sue’s maternal grandmother was born in Girard and we wondered whether we could find any evidence there of family roots. Sunday morning we attended the Church of the Brethren in Virden, and our questions were answered with an offer to take us to the cemetery where her parents and grand-parents are buried. The temperature was over 100 degrees as we wandered through the old sandstone markers in the earliest section of the beautifully kept little cemetery. And there, under a large shade tree, we found the burial sites of Mary Sue’s mother’s grand-parents and great-grand-parents! The stones are weathered and impossible to read but the next day – early in the morning to beat the heat – we went back out to take photos and pencil rubbings of the wording on the stones. We also discovered that the library (air-conditioned!) in the near-by county seat had some very informative genealogical resources. What an unexpected blessing! |