Cloudy and snowing but it is Sunday in God's world here in Canada. The snow falls lightly but consistently as I look out of my workroom window. I love the winter and I think I probably always will. There is something so beautiful looking at the snow covered landscape especially on a Sunday. God's day in the week when we put the tools away and just contemplate what the gifts of God have brought to us through the centuries that man has walked the face of the earth. The world has changed a great deal since my childhood when we saw the news on the newsreel or heard it on the radio although TV was not far away and I watched the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on the television with my grandfather and all my siblings of course and my parents were in and out doing the work that they needed to do. My grandfather was thrilled as he watched and did not take his eyes off the screen the entire time I do not think. He talked a lot about the traditions and who all the people were; it was a perfect history lesson for sure. I am trying to remember if my grandmother was there but I do not think so actually. The two youngest were not born yet and so it was just the five of us watching this exciting black and white spectacle. The newsreel was more impressive and we did see that later as well.
Church once again and we are into Lent and a time of contemplation. I did find a Lenten Study online which I will pursue on my own. Usually I join a group but as I age my desire is to be more and more alone unless it is my family of course. I am polite; I even wave if people wave at me but mostly I just want to be alone to contemplate and to write. It is wondrous all this working time as in my entire life I have never had so much time that belonged just to me. There were always items that needed doing and time was this ethereal quantity that I couldn't grab hold of very often. I love evening prayer time especially; time to talk to God and I still repeat the prayers of my childhood as they come back to me. One does need to thank God every day for everything He has given to us. His Ten Commandments told us how He wanted us to live.
I did complete my review of 23 and Me, My Heritage, FT DNA and now I am working on the Ancestry matches and there are quite a few at 23 cM or more numbering 21 which I am slowly entering into my table that I have kept now almost from the beginning. It has nearly 1100 matches listed for the four siblings with all the details and the MRCA where known. A number of them are on Gedmatch and I need to review Gedmatch but Ancestry must come first. Then Living DNA and my task will be complete in terms of review. Now I need to go back in and get the matches and prepare the files and then enter them into my phased great grandparent file and also work them into the phased grandparent file if they are needed. So still a lot of work ahead to do in that regard. But I am also back to writing the Pincombe Book at the moment and soon the Blake book as well.
I had an email from a member of the Galway Blake family which I will pass on to the member of our group who manages that particular Blake group (my pace at getting some of these things done is rather slow to be honest but I will do it). There are so many Blake founders that I do not even attempt to keep up with all of them in the present. Should I let the Blake one-name study be more available? I actually have not had any one write to me expressing such an interest so will probably wait for that. I have done a lot of work on the early Blake founding lines in the British Isles.
Surprisingly I am one of those people whose mental health does better when they are alone. In conversation I will monopolize that conversation and leave it when I find it doesn't feel comfortable to me. I apologize for this tendency but my mental health does better on its own. Fortunately I bear no grudges against anyone and like the Lord's Prayer says: "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Ever remembering that God said "Revenge is mine" and just move on with my life and live it the way that God commanded. It is important to do that as we can see the consequences of not doing so.
Church in a little while and it is in the middle of the Gold Medal Hockey game but I shall go to Church knowing that most of Canada will be glued to their television sets watching along with our wonderful friends and neighbours in the United States. I believe I have had at least six emails this week from different Americans looking for information that Edward may have gathered and I have tried to be as helpful as possible and do generally direct them to his tree online on our website. He did a lot of work that is used by many many people in the United States and Canada.
Thank you God for another beautiful day on Your world and may I be ever mindful of this gift to us from so long ago now. Prayers that we can mend what we have created that is harming the world.
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