Wordless Wednesday Stealth

Would you be worried if you were the duck?

Tombstone Tuesday Emma Gildon

Irish Praises of God

I have always loved reading Irish verses, limericks, and songs.  They have a lyrical and meaningful way of expressing the joy of the spirit and life.  As I have said in previous posts, my mom and dad always said they "had lots of Irish in them", so I was partial to the Irish.  Well not so MUCH Irish in me, but I married a man who had a LOT in him.  If his great grandfather had not changed his name from Aylward, we would have sounded a wee bit Irish. If the Hero were alive, I would have had him write a poem for me.  He had a way with words.  Have been searching for what happened to his writing. But, again, I digress.

When I first read this verse, it struck me because I love lying in the morning listening to the birds outside my window, then  I step outside to view the beautiful world.  This is how I start the day.
The author of this poem was not known .  It reminds me of those who write, not to publish, but for the benefit of others.  Later someone uses their work, because it is powerful.  On the other hand, many monks wrote just to praise God and did not want recognition.  Which ever it is, the words are meaningful to me. 

8th century (translated by Brendan Kennelly) 

God's Praises

Only a fool would fail
To praise God in His might
When the tiny mindless birds
Praise Him in their flight.

Christ's Bounty

I pray you, Christ, to change my heart,
    To make it whole;
Once you took on flesh like mine,
    Now take my soul.

Ignominy and pain you knew,
    The lash, the scourge,
You, the perfect molten metal
    Of my darkened forge.

You make the bright sun bless my head,
    Put ice beneath my feet,
Send salmon swarming in the tides,
    Give crops of wheat.

When Eve's wild children come to you
    With prayerful words,
You crowd the rivers with fine fish,
    The sky with birds.

You make the small flowers thrive
    In the wholesome air,
Your spread sweetness through the world.
    What miracle can compare?

 The picture is mine out in the yard.

Tthe clip art is from Graphic Fairy and Dover Design,

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Sentimental Sunday The Hero and The Pick Up Truck

This was not told until the Hero was gone.  He made me promise to not tell my son-in-law while he was alive.  LOL  I think Red Beard already knew.
It all started with the Hero losing his job when the company he worked for was sold.  That is a more serious story.  One that will have to be told later.

The Hero had a 1979 pick up truck he loved. Well, maybe loved is too strong a word, he was really glad to have.  He had bought it from a sweet friend for a thousand dollars, because she needed to reduce her vehicles and we needed a pick up on the farm.  He also had done odd jobs to make ends meet.
When he lost his job, he decided to go into contracting business doing terrazzo floors and decks, etc.  My son-in-law decided that he wanted to do it too, so they went down this journey together along with my oldest son.
One job was in Wichita Falls, Texas.   Not too long after they arrived to do the job, the truck started having a challenge starting.  The Hero was short on money, so he devised the old time method of starting a standard, which entailed the boys pushing the pickup and him popping the clutch.  Ha Ha...I can still see the boys finding a hump in the road of the campground they were at, a slanted parking lot, a wide open space to push the truck and to get it started. This went on for 6 months.  The fellows would complain and fuss, but never did they refuse to push.
When that job was over and they finally came home, the Hero found a job that paid.  He then, took the truck in to get it fixed.

He came back home with the sheepish grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye, swearing me to secrecy, that it was the starter that had been the problem and it only cost 15 dollars to fix.  The guys would have given the 15 dollars to not look silly pushing the truck down the streets to get it going.  Ah, life is sometimes a jolly thing.

Sentimental Sunday The Hero and His Wonderful Car

When the Hero came home from Army Boot Camp to resume his life as a reservist.  He faced many challenges.  The job he had had did not work for him.  His wife had divorced him and took all material items of value including his car.  His dad asked him to come to work for him.  In order to do so, he had to obtain a car.  He asked around his friends if anyone had a cheap car for sale.  'Sure thing', they said.  Old so in so went back home to Saudi Arabia and left his car behind to sale, good deal only 50 bucks.  The hero thought "Great! I will have transportation and not be in debt.!" Needless to say, he purchased the car.  It was not in great shape, no duh, but it did run.  Now he should have known something was a miss when he had to track down the owner out of states to obtain a title.  This is not the car obviously, I borrowed the picture from 1953 Chevy Classic site to illustrate the car.
We went on some dates in it, but the funniest story was of him leading a company truck to a job site in it.
Remember, this is 1969 in Houston, Texas.  They were finishing the loop around the city.  The incident occured on South Loop 610.  This picture was taken at the same area the incident occurred.

 The Hero was in lead trying to stay with the sight of the truck driver.  He was moving right along with the traffic, when a car whipped in front of him and slammed on their breaks.  Easy enough, right.  Not.  He slammed on his breaks and it started his car into a spin.  He remembered going around at least twice before stopping.  When he came to a halt, he was headed in the wrong direction.  All the cars behind him had stopped.  Every door on his car was wide open, the trunk and the hood up.  I can imagine his bewildered look as he unsteadily got out of the car to assess the damage. When he saw what had happened, he started laughing and went about closing doors, the trunk and hood. Got back in the car, turned around, and continued their trip.
Later, the truck driver, an older man, sat and laughed as he told everyone at the shop about the crazy driver the Hero was and his miracle car.  The Hero just shook his head and said. "What an experience", then he grinned.

Wordless Wednesday Phillipines War

Sentimental Sunday The Hero and His Imaginary Friend

This story is taken from the Hero's personal history he started a year before he died.
It is in his own words.  I added the pictures his mother gave to me.

"I had an imaginary friend too. I suppose I had first dreamed of him. Whenever it was necessary for me to play alone, which was not very often, I would play with him. He was very real to me. He had a horse. I guess I wanted a horse. My friend was me; but with, all the options I wished I had. I had only seen a horse on TV or at the movies. However, a photographer had come by the house taking pictures of children in cowboy attire on the back of a pony.

I suppose the pony caught my imagination. The main thing my friend had, that I desired, was a horse that would take him anywhere he wanted to go. So he would tell me about his exciting life. Like how he rode the horse to the Shamrock Hilton Hotel.

 When asked what he did with the horse, I was told that he tied it up in the back by the pool cabanas. I reported the incident to my family and they got a chuckle of it."

He had a bond with the Shamrock Hotel.  Maybe it was because it was constructed when he was born and was considered a great building of its time.  It really bothered him when it was demolished in 1987.

Areas That Need To Be Finished.

I was visiting my pedigree on Rootsweb.com and saw where I just stopped on some lines and had not gone back and uploaded corrections.  Sloppy genealogist.  Now I have to find my password to fix it.  Sigh, have I expressed my dislike for passwords before...??? I HATE passwords. 

One of the families I was looking at was Elizabeth Bradford who married John Davidson.  When I first started working on this line, I hadn't a clue who Elizabeth was other than there was a probate of her estate after her death.  No clues, that I knew of, as to what her maiden name was. I began by searching the IGI, back in the old days of using CDs, and came across a John Davidson and Elizabeth Bradford daughter of Thomas Bradford in Pickens, Alabama.  That was the right place, no source was provided, but it gave me a starting point to look for. 

My personal theory is John Davidson bought land in Carroll county and was planning to move to Carroll Co. Mississippi, but died before he could move.  There is a probate of his estate in Alabama and Mississippi.  He died before 1835.  Then I  found this, while searching for Porter probate records in 1840's, a tie in with Thomas Bradford. 

[I am sorry I am not well practiced at using a digital camera yet.]  The above is from Carroll County Mississippi 1946 probate records.  This excerpt shows Thomas Bradford requesting a note from the John Davidson Estate for said amounts.  The first is in 1832 the second is in 1846. 
Now I will have to go back further in the probate records to find more about John Davidson's records and I believe it will start in Pickens County, Alabama.  I will have to look at Thomas Bradford's estate in 1848 when he died to see if there is a tie in as I believe there will be, but I need concrete evidence. 
Proofs...I need to tie this up it has waited too long.

Wordless Wednesday Childhood Delight

Tombstone Tuesday Sarah Hughes Thorn

Ancestor Approved Award

I have procrastinated all day thinking on this award.  I do thank Joan at Roots 'n' Leaves   ,  Carol from Reflections From the Fence , Lindalee at Flipside  , and Karen at Ancestor Soup  for this award.  I don't know why I would deserve it, but I will honor their gift. Now I am trying to hurry (sure, it just took me a day to get this done) so I can go visit the other blogs they awarded it too.



As a recipient of this award, I am to list 10 things I have learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened me and then pass the award on to 10 other genealogy bloggers who I feel are doing their ancestors proud.
I can not imagine doing this quickly.  I include my husband's genealogy with mine.  As we became one when wed, our families became one in my mind.

1. I was surprised to find a son of John G Porter that had never been known before.  Extensive research had   been done on this family, but they apparently had never read the actual probate records.
2.  I am frequently humbled by the story of my grandmother Matilda Roberts Whitson who persevered  raising 6 of 13 children and 2 grandchildren after her husband died of cancer and the creditors took everything.  It helps me keep things in perspective.
3.  Enlightened by my study of the Mason's Apron which belonged to Thomas Thorn and the amount of interest of others that was generated by the story.
4. Surprised by a newpaper article I found at Genealogybank.com that points to a possible change in the history of my great grandfather and who his father was.  I am still exploring this.
5. Humbled by the history of the times my ancestors live through.  As my own children have moved many states away from our home, I have developed empathy with the mothers that must have sobbed at night knowing they probably would never see their children again that had gone west.
6. Surprised when I found the true story of my grandfather Charles Gildon moving west from Georgia.  My father had some of the truth, but it was steeped in lore that was not true.
7.  Enlightened when I read the book "Of Plymouth Plantation" by my ancestor Governor William Bradford.
It was wonderful to hear the story of the pilgrims in the words of one who had lived it.
8.  Surprised and elated when after 3 years of searching for the Hero's great grandfather, I looked on the opposite side of the index page and found him out of alphabetical order.  Silly me.
9. Enlightened by new methods of research.  DNA nailed an ancestor James Alexander Vance that many were sure about, but much had been circumstantial.
10. Enlightened, when I discovered in Old Wyoming Newspapers the true nature of my great grandfather Richard Whitson's death.  Family had always said he died in a gunfight...Highly romantic, he died of pneumonia.

Hmm looking at my list I would say not much has surprised me, but I have been greatly enlightened by study and certainly new facts can surprise one.  LOL

Now the 10 bloggers to pass the award on to and then the fun part of going to their blog and letting them know.  They are not in any particular order and you can visit them by clicking on their Title.

1. Lisa at The Faces of My Family
2. Travis at TJLGenes:Preserving Our Family History
3. Robin at Where I Come From
4. Jo at Those Who Went Before
5. Terri at The Next Chapter-Page 2010
6. Heather at Nutfield Genealogy
7. Barbara at Life From the Roots
8. Laura at It's All Relative
9. Kathy at I Will Remember
10. Donlynn at Homestead Origins

Sentimental Sunday The Hero and a Forward Girl

I have to tell a story on myself this time.  

It was a favorite story of the Hero's about how he started dating me. 

To give you some background, I had met him many months before we dated while I was working with his friend at the Methodist Hospital cafeteria. He had come back home to find out why his wife had divorced him while he was in basic training. He was a thin, haunted looking young man with expressive eyes.

I had thought "he's handsome, but I don't think I could date a divorced man." He said "I thought she was a special girl. Her eyes caught mine." I saw him a couple of other times when we were out with mutual friends.  Then there was a picnic given by the Arab Students Association.  I was asked by my co worker who was a member, and the Hero had been invited because he had been an adviser to the Foreign Students Organization in college (that's whole story in its self.)
Back to the picnic.  My best friend was at the picnic.  We did not drink so when our dates began to be tipsy, we wandered off to visit.  As we sat talking, the Hero came up and started a conversation with us.  I was thinking, I think I could date him.  As it turned out he said, "Do you all know of any girls that are available to date." (Do you think I was crazy? He did. ;)  )  I quickly spoke up and said " I am."  What was he supposed to say.  He got my number and called me that evening.  We talked for hours.  Over the following year, we broke up once and made up and went back together. That story I have already told. Click here for that story
Years later he confessed that he had been hinting for me to introduce my room mate to him, but decided he had gotten the better deal.

Here I am at that time period.

He would laugh telling the story, and wink at me saying "she was a hussy.'' 

And that my grandchildren is how we began to date and where we met.

I Don't Know Who You Are But Thank You

This is a shot in the dark post. 

As I drove into town this day before Easter, I looked up and I beheld a beautiful huge cross across the sky.  I searched for my camera and alas, it was not in the car.  

A pilot had created a cross through means of a vapor trail.  At 8:30am, the sun was exactly in the center of the cross.  It was beautiful to behold. It instantly brought the meaning of Easter, the atonement, and the sacrifice of Christ to mind.  I am grateful to my Saviour.

I do not know who the pilot is, but I hope that someone who knows someone will know who did it and pass along my THANK YOU to him. 

It was a wonderful Easter gift.