Source: Forwarded by Carol Brooks to the Candyman List. Sunday Afternoon RockingNo Accidents (from the "Sunday Afternoon Rocking" series) Nothing could begin until they all arrived. By this time, it appeared that all were at least in the same country, but nothing could begin until they all converged upon the same place within it. In 1801, most all were in North Carolina/Virginia area, many near one another, but no marriage records indicating they yet knew one another. Some were in Pennsylvania. Some were already in Tennessee territory and some were in route from Maryland. Some would be in the right spot within a few short years, and some would not arrive for forty more years. Most would come for the same reason: to own a spot of land they could call their own, to coax a living from the soil. Some would come for other reasons, to find a "safe" place out of the impending storm of white settler and Native American clashes, or to bring their trade and talents to a rapidly expanding frontier. In 1801, there would have been more than thirty of them in various stages of their lives. All of them were my direct ancestors, but nothing could begin until they all arrived. Until these ancestors of Irish, Scotch, English, French and Native American roots could converge on a small area known as "Land Between the Rivers" there was no chance for my birth or the birth of my descendants. And obviously, they all arrived. I have often wondered on that. In that time period the chances of survival were not high anyway. The world would have been fraught with health dangers, regardless of the intensified dangers of travel through a wilderness and homesteading a frontier. If only one of those ancestors had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, met with the wrong untimely disaster, a family line would never have been, and hundreds of descendants never have drawn breath. It is a wonder to me to think of it, to even realize the miracle of being. It is a wonder to me to realize that this "happen chance" has been, not just since 1801, but since the dawn of civilization and the creation of humanity. A very long time ago, when my son was having a very hard time of things, I did a little homework and a little research, and I wrote him this little piece to remind him in yet another way how very special he was. I was astounded myself at what I learned. It became a lesson for myself, as well as a lesson for him. This is how special you are... If you had been born in this country 200 years ago, you would have had less than a 20% chance of reaching the age of ten. If you had been born in most of the world today, the same is still true. But this is not the most wondrous part of who you are. Listen... For only a few hours of one week of one month in a certain year was it even possible that your conception could even occur. There was one in 450 million chances that the sperm that created you did so. Had it not you would have been another child. When you were conceived you received 23 chromosomes from your mother and 23 from your father, but all of those were a toss up from millions. If one chromosome had been different, you would be a different child. Theoretically, any one of 64 trillion children could have been born...yet it was YOU. Add to that the fact that even after you received the chromosomes that led to your creation, they have a quirky little habit of "crossing over", changing pieces and parts of each other and this made for eight million MORE possibilities of you being someone different from who you are. If one chromosome had switched one part with another...you would not exist... And yet you do. You were born in this country in this time to this family. You were conceived within the only few hours that were possible for you to exist. You beat the odds of one in 450 million to receive a particular sperm, you beat the odds of one in 64 trillion to receive just the right mix of chromosomes, and you beat the odds of one in eight million that no switching was done afterward except that which produced YOU. Have you any doubt that you are meant to be, meant to exist? Have you any doubt that there is some very special purpose for you on this earth? Just a thought, jan Copyright ©2000janPhilpot; Copyright ©1995janPhilpot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Note: Afternoon Rocking messages are meant to be passed on, meant to be shared...simply share though e-mail as written without alterations...and in entirety. If planned for a publication, permission must be granted by the author. Please forward sufficient information concerning the nature and intent of the publication. Thanks, jan) Sunday Afternoon Rocking columns are distributed weekly on the list Sunday Rocking. This is not a "reply to" list, and normally only one message per week will come across it, that being the column. To subscribe send email to [email protected].com Comments about the content of these messages can be sent to [email protected]

It's an old German tradition for parents to hide a pickle ornament on a Christmas tree for good luck. "The first child to find the pickle ornament gets an extra gift from St. Nicholas," Willis said. "This teaches kids not to dive right in and open their Christmas presents. They learn to appreciate the other ornaments on the tree first." A carrot ornament is a symbol of good fortune and also has a lesson for children. "In Germany, a wooden or glass one would be given to a young bride so that she and her family would never go hungry," Willis explained. "In Holland, Dutch children would leave carrots and straw by their wooden shoes at the fireplace. This provided nourishment for the horses that pulled St. Nicholas's sleigh, urging the children to remember animals at Christmas time." Breaking open a pink peppermint pig on Christmas Eve is another German tradition for good luck. "The oldest child in the family would be given a small hammer and would break the pig open into many pieces of peppermint candy," Willis said. "The child would earn a year of good luck for each piece broken. The lesson here, though, is that the child would then be told to pass around and share the peppermint pieces and the good luck with others." Marcia Get a real job, be a housewife Outgoing mail is Certified Virus Free. F-Secure protected McAffee protected Norton protected