September 22, 2015 (Tuesday)
Today I am expecting a visit from my great grand daughter, Claire Kala Haden, who will be bringing her mother and grandmother with her. I’m looking forward to this visit. She is such a joy to watch as she discovers and shapes her world.
The old hymn begins, “Mine eyes have seen..” Thinking of those words and the visit of my great grand daughter, my thoughts turned to the generations of my family that I have seen with my own eyes, seven in all when I include myself.
When I was a little boy, I saw one of my great grandfathers when we visited in Clawson, Texas, now a part of Lufkin. He was about 80 years old and his name was John Ross. His daughter was my grandmother, Mary Gladys Ross Lowe. Her daughter was my mother, Jessie Lowe Fake Heim. I am her son. My son is David Fake. His daughter is Jennifer Fake Haden. Her daughter is Claire Kala Haden. My eyes have seen every one of these relatives. Seven generations, including mine, from my great grandfather to my great grand daughter. What a privilege to have had this experience. Not everyone gets to see that many generations of their family.
The year in which each of these were born: 1860, 1885, 1912, 1931, 1954, 1985, 2014. These births span 154 years, and my eyes have seen each person.
I suppose these facts would come under the heading of “trivia.” But they are interesting to me. As my birthday approaches, these kinds of thoughts come to me. Have you had such thoughts regarding the generations of your family? Which ones have you actually seen with your own eyes? All things considered, it’s not important information, but it gives me something to think about.
The Bible places emphasis upon genealogy, that’s why there are so many chapters of “begets” and “begats.” It also reminds us that the generations are connected, so that what one generation does can affect the others. We are connected. But actually we are all connected, because everyone has a common ancestor. That makes us “kin.” Hi, “cuz.”