When my dad died four days before Christmas in 2000, I was shocked at some of the things I found among his belongings, but none moreso than his discharge papers from the Army. While he had always told everyone that he was discharged as a Private First Class, in reality he was honorably discharged as a full sergeant. And yet, though I have no idea why he never told me, I hold no animosity - it was his life, and he had no obligation to do so, no matter how much I would like to have known the real story. On the other hand, a couple of years before he died he DID tell me about the house his grandfather built in 1902, which prompted me to look for and find it following his death. I was grateful for the knowledge, and for the kindness and hospitality of the couple who now own the house, as it gave me a sense of connection that I had not even known I was lacking. So many things our relatives and friends never tell us are in no way a reflection of their trust in us, so much as a reflection of what may simply never have occurred to them as important to tell us. Which is why it is so very important to question those still with us, lest their histories die with them. Cori ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill and Lisa Kemp" <wjkljk.kemp@att.net> To: <MO-STLOUIS-METRO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2004 6:31 PM Subject: Re: [StL-Metro] Regrets > Well, since my father-in-law just passed last Monday, I'd have to say him. > I should have been more of a bulldog with him. That is my regret. > > We were sifting through his detritus on Sunday, and found things not even > his WIFE (my MIL) knew about - what a freakin' waste of good history lost to > the wind. He boxed in the army, he had his letters from his letter jacket > when he played football for Wellston in '46-47, his graduation announcement, > pictures taken with his army buds and a trophey none of us knows why they > won it - pictures of Germany. . . > > I know it's not about ME - he's the one who died, it was my husband's > father, but WHY would he not tell even one soul? > > I'm forever meeting relatives at FUNERALS and finding out all sorts of > things after the fact and it hurts. It truly hurts me to think that the > person didn't trust me enough with their history to just TELL me. This is > my passion, just like others passion may be politics, or baking, or building > things. > > Sorry - I'm still upset. > > Lisa Farrand Kemp > "Interum faeces et urinam nascimur" > > > > > > ==== MO-STLOUIS-METRO Mailing List ==== > RootsWeb forbids posting of copyrighted material without permission of the author. You can read RootsWeb's Acceptable Use Policy at http://rootsweb.com/rootsweb/aup.html. >