I agree with you so much. I am so very glad that I was able to be with my father in his last few weeks. He began to talk about everything just about November. At Thanksgiving, we all sat at his feet and listened to him, ask him questions about his life and his parents. Dad was always so busy with reporting the news that we like everyone else we had to read his columns to find out about his life and other things. But that last few months was so very precious to me, He talked so much and we all listened knowing that this would be last opportunity to hear him and interact. We laughed and cried and laughed some more. Now, we are unpacking boxes of memories and again laughing and crying over each little treasure. I learned more about Dad in 2 months than I did in my life time. Cheryl Linda Trent <lindatrent@zoomnet.net> wrote:Hi Guys, I got a rather sad thing in the mail the other day. It came out of the AARP magazine, May/June 2005, p. 8 "The Mail" Somebody, I assume it was my sister, had circled a portion of one of the letters to the editor. The circled portion read... "I wish that instead of spending so much time studying deceased ancestors, my mom had spent more time creating memories with her living descendants." I swung by Mound Hill this afternoon on my way home from town, and stopped by my paternal grandparents grave. I drive over to their gravesite about once maybe twice a month and just sit there and reflect on life and other things. Today I caught myself being quite poetic and thinking how my ancestors aren't famous, there are no buildings named after them, no city parks, or anything like that. They were just good honest hard working Gallia county farmers. And I thought about how all that I am and all that I have to look forward to is because of them! By looking backward and seeing where we were, shows us how far we've come and how far we can yet progress! The genealogical bug bit my parents and myself some 34 years ago. My father and mother were proud of their ancestors and taught me about them, and stirred in me a love and a devotion to those who made me what I am today. My father served in the military, not because he chose to, but because it was the right thing to do (plus he had a draft notice waiting at home for him ). He taught me what it means to be an American, an Ohioan, and a Gallia Countian. (We didn't even live in Gallia County at that time, but he was born here, and he was darn proud of that fact). I remember spending countless hours at the courthouse and going through all the records as we frantically tried to prove our lineage to FF of GC, but alas we came up empty and my father passed away unable to fulfill that dream. I'm still carrying that torch! But those countless hours are something that I've treasured over the years. Something my parents made into a treat, something I looked forward to doing as often as we could. My father was an executive in a plastic pipe plant and was away from home quite a bit, but the memories that he and my mother have left with me are fond memories of learning about our country, family and learning as much about my ancestors through them as I could. Here's to the past, the present and the future! Without our history we are nobody. Sorry to ramble, and I'm sorry to take up space here, but I just had to vent to someone who would truly understand. Thank you, Linda Tope Trent lindatrent@zoomnet.net ==== OHGALLIA Mailing List ==== Check the address you are replying to before sending your message. Be Well, Do Good Work , Keep In Touch __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com