Would you share the rest? That's beautiful! Nicol ----- Original Message ----- From: <Ddstevens@aol.com> To: <SALEM-WITCH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 19, 2002 10:37 PM Subject: [SALEM-WITCH-L] Re: SALEM-WITCH-D Digest V02 #39 > Tamara, that was beautiful and so well said. A few years ago I wrote a poem > that speaks to this feeling. It is quite long so I am only sending the last > few lines. > > Could they only imagine on that long-ago day > That the entries they made would affect us this way? > If they knew, would they wonder at the yearning we feel > And our searching that makes them increasingly real. > We can hear if we listen the words they impart > Through their blood in our veins and their voice in our heart. > > Family history is a strange thing. You either "get it" or you don't. For > those of us that do get it, it is a stirring in our soul to put a face to our > ancestors, to walk in their shoes, and experience history...the good...the > bad...and the ugly. There are many things in history to make us weep and > cringe. The Witch Trials were one such thing. > > This last year my husband and I have traveled extensively across the US and > have visited many historical sites. Many have been the sites of suffering > and persecution. The hush of Vicksburg stirred me and I stood with tears as > I remembered my ancestors that fought in the Civil War; I witnessed some of > the shacks that depicted how the slaves lived and suffered, and I cringed at > the knowledge that some of my ancestors were slave owners. I looked around > and I saw that segregation is still very much alive in places, and that we > still have a long way to go in our quest for tolerance. > > There are so many things that happened in our history. Some we can be proud > of, some we must accept as lessons. Instead of focusing on the negative > things in history, let us learn from our mistakes and go forward and try to > make world a better place right now. > > I have researched many of my ancestors. Some were kind and gentle people and > I am very proud of them. Some were troubled and less than kind. But they > all were human beings, and I am the sum of all of them...the good and the > bad. They all have a story to tell and a lesson to teach, if we only listen > with our hearts. > > Darlene > > > >