What can the Past tell you about the Future?

I have always loved stories from the past.
 Even as a kid, I had a wild imagination and
 loved to imagine people who had
 great or terrible adventures.....
all from things such as an unpaid electric bill stuck in the bricks of a fireplace mantle.....
or a letter left unanswered.

I was absolutely sure,
 back when I was eleven or twelve, 
that some poor relation of mine had met his demise at the hands of a ruthless 
kidnapper or somesuch.  

Death Sentence Commuted

I am currently doing genealogy research 

for a cousin. 

 He wanted to find out two things:

Was his grandfather murdered in 1922 

as he'd always been told?

Remember Pearl

A friend had a book proposal returned

 with the explanation that, 

"People today, would not be able to relate to her stories of growing up in the 1940's". 

This did not make any sense to me. 

If that is true, then what does that say about those who have followed what has been dubbed 

"The Greatest Generation"? 

When I mentioned that today was 

"Pearl Harbor Day",

my daughter said, 

"Oh." 

I realized then, that I needed to make sure the youngest of my children understands

 what that means.

Walking the Path ~ 50 Years and Counting......

 It was the dawn of a new decade. 

One that would bring things into existence that were unheard of at the time. 

A decade of unrest, drugs, free love, rock music, riots, turning patriotism into a four-letter word and throwing God out of the public schools. 

But in one small town, the simple things were still the big things - the important things. 

God, family, hard work.

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

Happy St. Patrick's Day

  Ireland is a magical place in the minds of those whose heritage reaches back in time to the Emerald Isle. 

My roots go back to Northern Ireland ~ Ulster. 

Do You Have Your Passport?

Passports.

They are the documents needed to enter and exit other countries including your own. 
They are prized by thieves and forged by those who would do evil. A little history of passports can be found here. 

I have copies of 1907 & 1908 passport applications of the woman and her granddaughter who first lived in this house . 

She was escorting her granddaughter to England for her upcoming marriage. 

Unfortunately for me, there were no photographs required then so I only have a written description which takes a bit of deciphering for the novice genealogist.

A Sense of Place

This is the house we lived in for two years...

It was a humble farm house, but it was

 my dream house.  

It was one of those funny old farmhouses that was added onto again and again as it was needed. 

Call Me Cordelia

If you are familiar with Maud Montgomery's 

Anne of Green Gables, 

you will recognize that line.  

After discovering that the Cuthbert's didn't want a girl, but rather a boy, Anne Shirley was asked her name. She replied, "Will you please call me Cordelia?" 

 After which, was a discussion about whether or not that was her name. 

Finally, she reluctantly agreed that they could call her by her real name, Anne, but only if they spelled it with an 'e'.

Cordelia was a "perfectly elegant" name and Anne, was a mere orphan whom nobody wanted. Cordelia was wonderful in Anne's imagination, while Anne, herself, was just plain unromantic 'Anne Shirley'.  

Anyone who has read the books, or seen the movies, knows that there is nothing plain at all about Anne Shirley. 

Still, it was how she felt about herself at the time.  

However, Cordelia, I have read, comes from the Latin and it means 'heart'. 

 Of which Anne's character has an abundance.

Sometimes, a person wants another name. 

 All of my children have gone through phases where they wanted to change their names. 

Sometimes, they change the nicknames we have for them or sometimes they begin introducing themselves to other people by their middle names.  Often, they will use their full given name as a sign of maturity and, sometimes, they have even used the equivalent of their names in another language. 

They are searching for a new, unique identity. 

Not the one given to them by Mom and Dad, 

but their very own. 

The one that describes who they want to be,

 or who they feel that they are.  

A name that shows another part of themselves, that shakes off the sameness of every day...

that lifts a cloud that has lingered too long.

This idea of being "called" another name that is not your own is actually biblical. We see it over and over again in Scripture.  

Lazarus had a sister who was "called" Mary. 

Mary, whose root is mara-which means bitter. Don't miss that one because she is the one who sat at Jesus' feet which was the "better choice".  

There was John, also called Mark, whom we call John Mark or just plain Mark.  

There was Joseph who was called Barnabas because that means "encourager". 

Saul who was called Paul.  

James and John were called the Sons of Thunder- does that name describe them or their father?  

Simon who was called Peter.

 Levi became Matthew. 

Even in the Old Testament,

 God changed names of people. 

Abram became Abraham. 

Sarai became Sarah. 

Jacob became Israel.

In the genealogy of Jesus in the book of Matthew, it reads "...Jesus, who is called the Christ." 

matthew 1:16

And in the book of Acts, we read that "...the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." acts 11:26

In Revelation, we are told that Jesus has a name that nobody knows yet. 

Isn't that wonderful? 

He has a name that has never been defiled by the mouth of Man. 

revelation3:12 

You are probably called other names besides the one you were given at birth. 

Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Sis, Bubba...

While looking at old family photos I came across one that was labelled 

"Aunt Sister".  

Everyone in the family called her Sister and then it was Aunt Sister...

I thought that was rather odd, but names become part of you.

Your name becomes your identity.....

or your identity becomes your name.......
it depends.....

Lately, I've been thinking I'd rather be called something else...not because I dislike my name but because being me can get tiresome. 

Especially, when difficulties arise and I'd rather not deal with them, or I wish I were a better "me" who knows how to deal with them. 

I know that there is a name that Jesus has for me..a new name, the Bible says.....

and nobody will know it but me.

 revelation 2:17

  

That's exciting to think about....the perfected me, with the perfect name..

...but until then, 

 I can't seem to think of anything that seems to me to be "perfectly elegant" and I'd be afraid to be "called" something that fits my personality or my mood this week....

so, I'll just use one that's already been suggested......

"could you please call me Cordelia?"

Oh, and by the way, there really is a Cordelia in my family tree, so I actually have a claim to use it, don't you think? 

Here she is, (on the left)... don't you love the hat?

photos: sunsets on the north shore of PEI, smoky mountainsTN, family archives (c) deborah richardson

Things I Want to Learn

Why is it, that when you decide you will put your thoughts out there for others to read, 

you can't figure out what those thoughts are? 

 I will just blame it on "mommy brain"......

or fatigue.........

or stress.......

or too much sugar.....

whatever.  

Honestly, after I started this blog, I began to look around here in cyberspace a bit and I have found some wonderful places. 

There are many out there who have so much wisdom and wit. 

Oh- and what about all the unique blogs out there. I have found a few gems,  

.....which made me a bit keyboard shy.

Mostly, my experience with my computer has been limited to one email address (well, there is another that I rarely check), one Etsy store, a few trips to Ebay Land, and a Message Board of faithful friends, 

some of whom I have never met in real life. 

There are searches for things I want to buy or learn about and a few dips into topics that interest me such as homeschooling, genealogy and photography. 

But, until now, I have never written a blog.

It's intimidating.

Okay.....so, in my distracted and nearly-middle-aged mind , I have decided that all of the fragments that swirl in my head all have one thing in common.

 They are new interests.  

They are things I want to learn.

 Recently, I was browsing around on Facebook (forgot to mention that one) to see what my grown kids are up to.....

umm, I do talk to them on the phone, 

but I can't see photos of their vacations on the phone....

anyway, one gal who is a very young twenty-something was making a Bucket List.  

I don't think she needs to worry about that now, but there are some things that we think about doing, and then, oh, a couple of decades or more fly by and we've never given them another thought........

I don't have a Bucket List, but lately, there have been a few things about which I have thought, 

"I'd like to learn how to do that."  

Some are expensive and some are not. Some require a little practice and some will require more years than I probably have to master.  

All of them are creative, artsy things.

 I don't have much time to create things with my hands. I read and read and read.....but usually to find information that I need and I rarely have time for my mind to just... think...and meditate on what is important in this life.

I think that we all have the ability and yes, even the need, to create things. To fashion something that wasn't there before. Something that brings beauty to our lives and others.Something that meets a need.  Something that makes us appreciate that someone had to slow down and put forth an effort. Something that took thought and maybe a bit of planning.

I like to make things. I like to feel the satisfaction of seeing something old and ugly become new and attractive (even if only to me). I want to know if anything rational and interesting can come out of the jumble of thoughts swirling in my head.

So, here are a few things that are on my list of Things I Want to Learn.

I'd like to learn how to upholster furniture.

I'd like to finish the research on my house and make a glossy photo book about it.

I'd like to do the same on various branches and people in the family.

I'd like to learn how to make books and journals out of various things and for various purposes.

I'd like to learn how to get my music onto paper so that I can share it.

I'd like to learn how to play the cello.

I'd like to learn how to lay tile.

I'd like to learn how to hook rugs.

I'd like to learn how to write a blog.

So far, I've found several books that can help me learn many of  these things. I have learned how to do many things from books.  Books are friends. Well, the good ones are.  And I have a new folder in my "fav's" that is titled Things I Want to Learn. I also have software to help me do some things like writing music, but I'm still doing the beginning baby steps.  I do not have a cello. But I know where I can find a teacher.

 And, I have figured out how to write something for you to read when I thought I had nothing to say.

Okay, now it's your turn.

What would you like to learn how to do?

  Let me know and maybe we will all be inspired by the new act of learning something new.

photo: north shore of prince edward island, Canada (c) debbie richardson