Aaron gave me a gift of ancestry.com for Christmas. Today we noodled with it. What a hoot to find ancestors from the 16 hundreds and not only the British Colonies but England, Ireland, and Scotland. You certainly see what a great cast of characters you are associated with. 

We tend to surmise that what we are doing is of profound importance. How could anyone before us have done much more than struggle through life when we are winging on the wispy clouds of modern convenience. Alas, we are only singular members of a great story…a chapter of a majestic novel.

Those who came before us faced many of the challenges that we face. On winter nights they looked up at the stars and wondered what the Secret was. Disease did battle with our ancestors and took some of their young. They sought a new world of acceptance. They looked for a land where they could develop a sense of place and breathe the air of freedom. 

Our ancestors sought shelter food and fellowship with their fellow humans. Peace and prosperity were to be desired. Freedom from fear was a prime motivator. Hope was a Northstar. 

They lived with neither the iPhone nor the internet. Often you parted ways with precious family and did not see them for years or ever again. News traveled slowly…there were not many conspiracy theories unless you wrote them yourself. 

Leisure was rare and it was difficult to stay awake to enjoy it. Folks would travel to see their neighbor and knock on their door to announce their arrival…they could not call them on the telephone…

Most people kept their business to themselves and thus they were a mystery that made them interesting. Talk was indeed cheap and actions spoke louder than words. It was not easy for the conman or the scam artist to overtake our ancestors…they were much too busy with the real world…

The World was a mystery that was yet to be discovered by our ancestors. Exploration was a high calling and worthy of reverence. We knew little of anything that was more than a few miles from where we were born. Everything had a newness and a freshness about it and slept under a benevolent moon…