The Ties That Bind

I recently received from a cousin the census and baptismal records of our grandfather who was born in Ireland. I learned that that our grandfather lived in the same house with his father, our great grandfather, and that our great-great grandfather, too, lived with them and was listed as the head of that household at the age of 78! As I reviewed these records, I got to thinking that we inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise. I also thought about the richness of our family’s ancestry and the fact that I don’t spend enough time being thankful for the family that I have. How many calls have I not made, how many emails have I not sent? I guess we are all guilty of not paying attention to those of us who are still here, yet, it’s ironic,we look back and share records of our common ancestry almost wistfully. I wonder how those folks who lived so long ago would feel about their descendents not keeping in touch with each other? I have some emails and phone calls to make………….