To say my time not working (at a job) has been WORKING OUT for me, is an understatement. It’s been a PRODUCTIVE time, I’m blessed to have had this opportunity and temporary reassignment to “OTHER” jobs – not just travel, which you know I’ve been doing a LOT of. (It’s 2 weeks until my biggest summer adventure. Yes I’m almost packed.)
And as for work: “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever” – I believe this Psalm 138 verse SO MUCH – He Will in HIS TIME.
But so SERIOUSLY and with CERTAINTY, instead of a nine to five job, how ELSE have I FILLED my time (or seen it filled for me)? Well, I’ve had a few adventures with my kids yes, and a BIG one with the farmhouse finds. AND HOW AND WOW!
We have items, yes, newspapers and photos, baby dolls and even 48-star American flags. We have a FULL house of finds… But it was the “draw” of the pull mentally of getting to “the back corner”, an artificial goal with natural faith to finish that sorting before summer made that attic region unbearable in heat, THAT was an achievement in my mind that has paid off BIG TIME. Essentially we found letters and postcards, we found that we have HUNDREDS of cousins we did not know about. Letters and letters and letters. WOW.
AND I’VE BEEN SCANNING AND COPYING FOR A MONTH. Plus online research.
Most surprising, now that I’ve connected census research and ship manifests, I discovered that my great great grandparents came to America after their old-enough daughter (my great grandmother) and old-enough son had established themselves here, bringing more children. And I found photographs and maps to their gravestones. WOW.
Auntie, we knew of her from one photo, but now her many children plus more uncles and cousins are discovered. In these letters, yes, the writings ache your heart in the depression hitting their lives as workers, bakers, farm stand folks, seamstresses. Even though times were tough for my direct family back then, they had a farm and they still ate. My grandpa told me once that all they ate was potatoes every day. Makes me count my blessings.
And in this, I see the RESILIENCE of a generation, the love especially in the writing, and also the normalcy of their situations. IF WE STUDY THE PAST, WE ARE THANKFUL GOD HAS PULLED US SAFE THUS FAR.
I will write more later about what I’ve found, but for now I will say THANK YOU LORD for this time I’ve had to dig into the project, to devote to scanning and copying, online digging, to now know their names, even a couple photos, but most importantly their love. And I THANK YOU LORD for once again making me count my blessings of provisions and a plan.
I stopped my “ancestry .com” research after my one month $25, I think I milked it pretty good, loose ends and and rabbit holes accepted. I’ve colored coded my scanned letters and sorted by time and person.
Will I find relatives who live in this era? I don’t know, but I’m going to leave that for another time. This was a big enough project for now.
And I will appreciate what I do have, God’s grace and mercy for these moments of openness… (and appreciate a whole bunch of people whom I hope to meet in Heaven!)
Now I plan on SWITCHING GEARS to typing up the new family tree, for me, my kids, my family. The “artificial goal” I’ve set is to complete this to a stopping point before my next travels. It’s a good goal to gain and then move forward to the next BIG thing.
Yes, LIFE gifted by God. Got to live it and love it!
Amen
Psalm 138 NKJV
The Lord’s Goodness to the Faithful, a Psalm of David.
I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord, When they hear the words of Your mouth. Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, For great is the glory of the Lord. Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
OK – I decided to spend the money – $25 for this month of Ancestry . com – because I already used my free trial – and well, I wanted to see the names and info of my cousins who’ve I’ve never met. Was it worth it? I think so – and we will see – because it seems now after just a little digging – I HAVE EVEN MORE COUSINS THAN I KNEW!!! YES, it is if Oprah is saying: “and you get a cousin and you get a cousin” – mimicking her car giveaways… Yes – I have the info and am still digging for these new insights into cousins from this other side (I think I depleted all my leads on my other side so I am digging on this side) – so many of our immigrant ancestors landed into NYC area – through Ellis Island – and yes I have been there and felt the enormity of my life funneled through the masses who decided it was worth the risks to go to this new place – AMERICA – wow…
SO, for this new branch that I am researching – I am combining reading historical letters from the late 1920’s, the 30’s into the 40’s from NYC – not a small community even then… LOTS of people… But they kept really good records – Thank God. Not all the things in the letters are good – there is talk of the depression conditions – there are classic family issues which are not really talked about but you can imagine – but also the ends of each letter are filled with love and best wishes – and you can imagine that they loved each other so deeply over the miles – these letters were their lifelines.
Especially in these letters from cousins to cousins, there were pleas to write back and also to visit or tell them when they could visit. Even in the great depression they tried to get together but mostly they didn’t get to see each other – they all just didn’t have the time or the means – and well a farm to run and well NYC was a ways away back then… Much of the letters included info about the weather and the children and the work or lack there of – one set of cousins said they left one job to go dig for worms and sell worms – and then lost that business because worms were being imported from Boston to NYC – yeah job loss… I have heard that what really pulled us out of the great depression, economically, was the influx of WW2 and the money spent on it. Yes – I have read in these letters of cousins who died in the war too and cousins with cancer and other ailments. These people are people just like us – we all have to deal with somethings…
And multiple letters told of the yet another child to our cousin. So – I now have the names of my cousins (and great greats) including a set of MANY children from one branch of the family. Maybe there are some still alive but not sure – wouldn’t it be nice to connect? maybe? maybe that is awkward but then again maybe not – and maybe over in that branch they are also longing for connection? Only God knows…
One letter told of the death of the patriarch of the family – “Papa” but not sure which Papa that is yet but the letter closes with “well, his troubles are over now.” – And that is the truth that in Heaven our troubles will be over and God, who collected our tears will rejuvenate us in both a spiritual and physical sense – no more pain – rescued with His Love. Let us hold onto that HOPE now. And know the LOVE in advance.
And so I can look up the streets they lived on as well as the street corners of NYC where they had fruit stands and stores – and yet those buildings are gone and the shops are gone – and the people are gone – but are they? NO – I don’t know how we can sense that our families are still alive than just to know it – we know it – we sense it – and we are to believe it… They are alive in God – and in our hearts… yes, and with me finding Christian symbols and pamphlets and a plastic cross – well, that soothed my hopes over my fears of never knowing. I pray and I know that like Oprah giving away cars – God says: “And you get a cousin and you get a cousin and a grandparent and a great times 20 great grandparent – and you get BROTHERS AND SISTERS in Christ” – yeah….
Yes, More that Oprah Money (which I wouldn’t mind having too) – God gives Good things – “God Goods” – that are eternal and not just the earthly things we enjoy = ALL GOOD THINGS ARE FROM GOD. (Romans 8:28 and all of Romans 8). God gives us the things and the hope – and the life everlasting through Jesus who cleanses us and covers our sins so that we are forgiven and forevered. Remember the people who you know and don’t know now – who DO know Christ and ask for His forgiveness – will ALSO be cleansed and renewed and restored in Heaven – and all will be OK.
Well I will go back to digging – 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1950’s census and then maybe will find birth and death records and might have to renew my newspapers .com subscription too – not to do this obsessively but fanatically – as a fan of the gifts that God has given in information AND LOVE.. GOD GOODS ARE GOOD.
“And you get the LOVE – and you get the LOVE”… Thanks Lord…
Amen
Romans 8 NKJV – a letter from Paul to the Romans Free from Indwelling Sin There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Sonship Through the Spirit Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
From Suffering to Glory For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Debbie Upper 