The Family Tree

Our living family members are all interesting, but our deceased family members from generations ago are even more intriguing. We can only surmise what they were like because we did not know them. Before I retired in May 2006, I already had decided one of my retirement projects would be to write a book for my sons about my and their father’s families. I started this in December 2006, and it is still far from completion. It is a work in progress. I knew stories of all our families, but my mother, my father-in-law, and other relatives added more. I have lots of pictures and have put together family charts that, in some cases, go back to the 1700’s. This project is very interesting, but I may end before it does! I am now beginning to wonder what our future generations will say about us. Will they laugh when they see pictures of us the way I did when I saw pictures of my great-grandfather Jule Edmond (with cigar) and my great-great-uncle Frank (wearing suit)? These people are scary. Will we look that way to our descendants a couple generations forward? I hope not, but times change. I think I’m still a fun person, but I may turn into a snaggle-tooth centenarian in years to come. I learned a lot about my “roots” in my research and discovered some of my ancestors were real characters. I wonder just how “good” the good old days were! As Confucius said, “Study the past if you would divine the future.”