Go out and make it a great day.

It can be that simple But a lot of us don’t realize it. Thanks for posting!

Hello Alan - well-done from concept to published post.  Excellent use of photos detailing your family's history.  Quite relevant to current times.  

Alan, so much packed into that little blog. Many people need to read and reflect. Great family photos!

Good morning Alan. I can honestly say I don't know much about my ancestors but I do know from my uncle who lived to be 100 that my Dad's brothers and sisters along with my grandparents had it much harder than we do today. So, no complaints! Enjoy your day. 

How interesting is it to go that far?  Recently I became aware of some decendents from Founder of Ming Dynasty 1368 to 1644. They are 20th, some say 18th generation all live in Texas. 

I know really nothing of my history.  Zero about my dad's family.  He was gone from my life when I was a child and my mom was adopted from an orphanage in Ireland to a family in Ohio in the late 1940's.  

Tammy on the other hand has 6 generations buried in a local cemetery on her dad's side and 3 on her mom's side.  She has traced her tree to the American Revolution on both parents sides. And I'm not exaggerating that her family reunions have 500 people attend.

We did t he DNA thing and she found some photos of my dad's people (that I never met) and the didn't reply to contacts on ancestory, but at least I got to see a few photos. 

Alan May In the late 1800s, my grandfather thought American streets were paved with gold, so he booked a ticket on a ship and made his way would make a home and send for the family. It was not paved with gold, but he made a home and sent for the family. He was an expert FrameMaker, so hard work was appreciated, and soon, he started his own successful business.  

Yes, let's go out and make it a Great Day! 

Am grateful and thankful every day that my grandparents decided to board a ship from Bohemia and sail to America to become citizens, Alan. Am also appreciative of two people falling in love and bringing children into the world to do better and be better.

Your family photos are wonderful!

I love your post on this topic, Alan. These pictures are true treasures. Thank you for this journey and reminder.

Alan May 
Loved your post - how lucky you are to have old family photos... 
Reading all the comments added more to your story.  Lynn

Alan May   Our youngest grandson is really into the ancestry and is always trying to get more info on the lineage. On our trip to Portugal this past summer, I dd get to trace some of it and went back to my grandfather's grandfather which was about 180 years on my father's side.  The level you describe seems unattainable.

eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow is a new and different day

It’s important to get that information out there and kind of do your best out there.

I suppose you just have to not give up and keep going and do the best you can with it

Hi Alan;

What a thoughtful and entertaining way to put life today in perspective. How fortunate you have those photos to help tell your story.

Jeff

I love this post.  Family and History.  Two of my favorite subjects..

Alan May What a fabulous post.  It really hit home.  I have a lot of photos, some I know  and others I don't.   Like you, I'm second generation American on my father's side and I think at least third on my mother's, and was able to trace them through Ellis Island.  When you think about what our ancestors went through and how much we have today, it's amazing that anyone would complain.  Life is a gift.  Live it and be grateful every day.  Thank you for this.

And these are all people who did the best they knew how at the time.

Allen, you really touched a nerve with a lot of people with this post. I loved reading your post and the comments made it even more special. My husband‘s grandparents came to this country from Sicily. My ancestors have been here a lot longer and together we’ve made a family with-. I hope -appreciation for both sides of their heritage. 

When I look at all the tools in my kitchen - starting with a water faucet I need only turn on - I think of all the things my Grandmother told me about her early life and about her Mother and Dad.

I think of how they would have enjoyed the conveniences I have.

When my Great-grandmother wanted butter, she sat at the churn, working the stick up and down with one hand while holding a book in the other. You want water? Go out to the spring or the creek with a bucket and bring some in. You want to read or work after dark? Light the oil lamp - and be sure to clean the chimney in the morning. 

For many, life was like that only 100 years ago. I find that amazing.