New Beginnings

We are always experiencing new beginnings in our lives. We start as infants soon to be followed are our first steps, and shortly after that our first memories of life.  Followed these first primitive beginnings is a host of life gratifying and altering beginnings. Our first day of school, our first day as adults, our first love, our first child. Each one of us has a unique tale of how we develop in the scheme of God's master plan for our lives. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11 For me there has been no better way to see the beauty of God's handiwork than by learning about the very family God entrusts us to.  Genealogy has been one of the most fascinating hobbies that I have ever found.  I start when I was 14, and it grows more exciting and rewarding each and every day.  There are days you find yourself in awe of what those before you have sacrificed in order that you have a better life, there are stories of hardship, heartache, betrayal, joy, and there are some stories that are past down as family stories and family folklore, some are lost to the past, and there those yet to be discovered.  Those yet to be discovered are what brings the old westward pioneer spirit out in me.  I've done many things in the way of genealogy research, but there is one thing I have yet to do, blogging.  As this quote says, "Genealogy is collecting dead relatives, and sometimes a living cousin". I've collected and gained so much in my nearly two decades of research. Now with this new beginning of blogging I hope that I can gain more information and stories on those relatives I have now and those I have yet to find (living and dead).  Hopefully I can inspire (aka share my addiction) a few future genealogist to follow in my footsteps to carry on the work others have entrusted me with over the years.  It's such an honor and privilege to learn and serve others in this way.  God has written some amazing stories in the lives of the people we love, and we can gain so much if we read them one at a time. These relatives, with God's help have molded us and shaped us into who we are today.  And as one anonymous writer once wrote, "It's hard to be humble, when you have ancestors like mine".  Hopefully you will enjoy the stories, quotes, pictures, records, and perplexities I may have.  One thing about genealogy is, every one is a contributor to the research...you may just have the information to find the missing link!