Sunday Psalms and Stories - Pilgrim's Pride

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

  his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story -

  those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.

                                         Psalm 107:1-2

What would a good Thanksgiving be without a pilgrim story? Here's mine:

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, my family on my mother's maternal side, came to America on the Mayflower. I just discovered this last year and it astounded me.

                          

                                                                               Me!

A descendent of the original pilgrims. This was one of those "blessing in disguise" things. One of those consolations that God often gives us in the middle of a storm. We had to be in the Boston area for a personal family crisis. More than anything, I wanted to take my children to see the Mayflower reproduction ship and Plimouth Plantation, a living history museum.

                                                                fake smile picture courtesy of Dania Rizkallah

It was also my first year as a homeschool mom and I thought what better way to make history come alive? So there we were, checking out the town of Plymouth, on our way to see the famous rock where our family landed. I was so excited about my special heritage.

                 And, did I mention this was about my side of the family? My people? My blood? 

So we get to the ship and my family whines, "This is sooo stupid. This is sooo boring. Way to take us on yet another sucky history trip mom!" I said, "Just wait until we get to the rock! It'll be worth it, you'll see." So we get to the rock…

Insert howls of laughter.

Insert irritated husband.

Well, I was so mad about their attitudes I told them to sit on a bench and wait for me to get back. I was going to see my town come Hell or high water. So I took my camera and I left them and their pitiful selves on a bench. To wait. For me.

      And I complained as I stomped my way up a nearby hill "Why God? Why do they always have to ruin it for me? I know you gave me this gift!"

      

       I stomped and complained some more and I became that crazy talking tourist. "I'm going to take my own pictures and enjoy my own self in the town of my history. And then I looked up and could not believe my eyes:

Insert howls of laughter.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility then comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Writing Down Family Stories

My kids and I got a unique opportunity with our homeschool group last week. Three hundred parents and children (mostly children) listened as a Holocaust survivor told his story of escaping Germany when he was a child. It was gripping and enlightening and when it came time for questions, someone said, "Have you written a book we could buy?"

He said, "No. No, I haven't written a book and it's probably nothing I'll get around to doing at this point. But I'd welcome someone else to write it if that's what they wanted to do."

I happened to be sitting next to my writer friend, Andy, and we both just looked at each other. This man had a compelling first hand account that's going to be lost one day. It makes me wonder how many millions of stories are lost because they've not been written down.

There are several captivating stories in my own family history. One of my ancestors got shot in the head with a musket ball during the Civil War and survived. Another soldier wrote love letters to his wife for four years while he fought during the war and died just four days after coming home. Another of my ancestors, who came over on the Mayflower, landed at Plymouth, MA and apparently became smitten with a "savage woman." He ran away with her and was later seen in the area dressed "half nekked." I guessed he was really undressed. At any rate, he was kicked out of the colony.

                                                My girls at Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, MA

                                                            The Mayflower reproduction ship

What about you? Do you have any unique family stories? 

The holidays are perfect opportunities for writing these treasures down so they won't be forgotten. I'd love to hear who you'd most like to interview in your family. Kids are great at this, because no one can refuse their cute little faces. Here are some questions to spark conversations:
               
             In what year were you born?
             Where were you born?
             What did you like to do for fun?
             Did you have toys? What kind?
             What kind of work did your father do?
             What country did your family come from?
             How did they get to America?
           

Family History Tip:

Designate one binder or notebook for each branch of the family and always note the name of the person you're interviewing. Older family members often repeat stories and need help from others remembering names, dates and specific events. Having one notebook will help keep everything in one place for future interviews.
                                                                                         Happy Hunting and Happy Holidays!

Saving The Past

Family ties can be tricky things to nourish and navigate!

Distance and discord can muck things up and widen the gap between generations. But family is important to God. One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 68. It's a picture of God as father, defender and provider. Here's a fragment of verse:

                     

                    Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,

                       extol him who rides on the clouds

                       rejoice before him - his name is the Lord.

                     A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

                          is God in his holy dwelling.

                    God sets the lonely in families,

                          he leads out the prisoners with singing;

                          but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

                                                                                 Psalm 68:4-6

My family hasn't always been close, either geographically or emotionally. We didn't visit with each other very  often while I was growing up. But  one of the things my grandparents did right, was to stay in touch by way of cards and letters. 

One of the many things my mom did right, was to stash those letters and pictures away so that we'd have them later.
                      
                                          I so appreciate her for that!

Older people especially appreciate receiving things in the mail. Many don't use social networking and they can feel left out in our modern world. I just reminded myself...I need to send some photos and a note to my last surviving grandmother.

How about you? Do you have any special letters or notes floating around that you could share with your loved ones?

Family History Tip: Gather any letters, notes and cards and create a file for each of your children. It may not seem like much to them now, but they'll appreciate you for it later!

                                                                  Happy Hunting!

Faith Detective

One of the things I most love about digging through my family's history, is finding common characteristics and interests that link us together now. Just some of the many things I've found are writing, singing, art, archiving and historical preservation.

                                                                     
Growing up as a young child, I felt like there was something off about me. Like there was a piece of myself that was missing and it was my destiny to find whatever "it" was. Now I know, that what I was searching for was God, the knowledge of who I am, and a sense of authentic intimacy in my family relationships.
                     
                               Thankfully, God found me, but I never lost the love of the search.

There were several breaks in my family's faith over the generations, but through ancestral research, I've been able to pick up pieces of the chain that once held us together.

Family History Tip:

Before you hop online and waste money, gather as much information as you can.  Making a list of full names, dates of births and deaths, hometown information and country of origin are most helpful.

                                                                                           Happy Hunting!

God's Handiwork

They say you should write about your passions - write about "what you know," but that's always a struggle for me because I love so many things! However, I have to narrow my blog topics down, so I prayed about what I most want to leave behind from this life. 

My two biggest passions next to Jesus, are family and helping other people. As I thought about those two topics specifically, I narrowed it down even more. I'm passionate about personal family histories and helping people who struggle in life. I know...it's so random! But both of these passions have intensified since my adolescence. They've always been there.

I truly believe that God shapes our lives on purpose and for purpose. One of my favorite bible verses says, For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

                             So I asked God, What good work did you create me to do?

I guess now's a good time to reveal that I'm a chronic pain sufferer and have been since I was a teenager. But I didn't know the cause of it and doctors haven't been able to figure it out. Recently, part of that mystery has been solved. I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and some other related "syndromes" and "diseases." 

I live as full a life as possible, but when I got multiple diagnoses, it made me take stock of what's really important to me. It also made me want to live out the dreams and purposes of my life.

                         No more "... someday" for me.

I can't even explain how grateful I am to finally know what's going on! It's life altering. I've spent the last couple of months making necessary lifestyle changes and learning how to treat my body better. The more I share with others, the more I find other women who struggle with life and pain.

Let's face it, much of life is painful. It's not fake like the images we see in our magazines and movies.

God has placed me in a position that allows me to help my fellow sufferers, so it's one of the topics I'll be writing about. From now on, this blog will focus on three things: Jesus, family and encouragement for chronic pain sufferers.

So here's a selfie of me right now. Laying on my heating pad and writing at the same time. 

                                                                   Today really sucked!

And here's a selfie of my daughter, Katya, and I on the set of an Indie movie that filmed here on Monday.  

                                                       Her choir was featured and I was an extra

More about the movie later because that's what flared up my Fibro...but it was totally worth it!

                                                                                     He is faithful and wonderful:)