In less than twenty four hours, I will be on my way to the Salt Lake City International Airport with my husband, seven of our nine children, thirteen grandchildren, a grandparent or two and maybe even a couple of aunts and uncles. Our missionary is coming home! Ammon has been serving in the Toronto East Mission (now known as the Toronto Mission)/Korean speaking for the past 25 months. He has come to love the people he has been serving and considers Canada to be his home away from home. It has been a joy to see his growth and example of faith.
During Ammon's absence I discovered that our family has deep roots in Canada. Our earliest Canadian ancestor immigrated to Quebec from Normandy in the mid 1600s. I am amazed at how digging up these roots has nourished and strengthened the branches of our family tree. Yesterday I read a bit of history on an English ancestral line. Sir Thomas Cook led a fascinating life, full of economic ups and downs, time in the Tower of London, and a stint as the High Mayor of London. A family member asked a couple of the kids what they could learn from this particular ancestor. Someone quipped, "Don't lend money to the queen." (If you Google Sir Thomas Cook, you will find the humor behind that statement.) In one of those amazing AHA! moments I realized that my family history is a treasure trove of fodder for my writing. I've decided to dig a little deeper.
so...the 13 grandchildren just returned from a picnic at the splash pad, the dogs want water, and dinner for 34 needs to be prepared. I am taking lots of notes to add to add to our family story.
Is there an ancestor who has inspired your writing?
hugs~
OOOOOOH Kari, I am so happy for you. From one mother to another mother, I can feel your heart and know it is full. My oldest son returns home from his mission in Cuiaba, Brazil in 9 weeks and 3 days. Happy days!!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful time. Mission homecoming is the best.
ReplyDeleteLove homecomings. They are so spiritual and amazing. I hope your entire family has a wonderful week! I would suppose if one of my ancestors inspires me, it would be Bach. There are so many things written about him and we are a very musical family.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kari. I was browsing to meet LDS authors, and found this site via Twitter.
ReplyDeleteI've had these kinds of homecomings. I have only four children and seven grandchildren, and have come home often to them.
You are taking notes for the family story. Excellent. I often wish that my ancestors, whose stories I have, had written about their experiences in more details. I wish I had written more details about my experiences as I was having them. I thought I would remember, but later I found I had lost a lot. So I would second your motion to dig a little deeper and get it down on paper. It WILL all be fodder for your writing.
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror, A Memoir of Shattered Secrets