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| An "enthusiastic" quote for the "enthusiastic" genealogist |
One of my favorite parts of GRIP is being with my genealogy friends - both old and new. I have been pleasantly surprised to have four different ladies come up and tell me they have been reading and enjoying my blog. You don't know how much this means to me, so thank you! One of these ladies told me she'd thought of me when she saw the above quote and handed it to me. I (enthusiastically) love it!
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| Rose speaking before sharing a poem at GRIP |
Going back to last night, I was thrilled when they announced that Rose, who sat at the information desk last July session, was going to read one of her poems. I often spoke with this sweet, happy lady last year, who is now proudly 84 years old. She shared stories and photos of her ancestors with me and read me a few poems. The poem last night was about the fact that she is an American. In her veins flows the blood of both Africans and Cherokees, and she is proud to be an American. It was a beautiful poem, and I believe it touched many of us.
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| My first time meeting the eldest of my dad's first cousins |
Lastly, I mentioned that I came a few days early to spend some time with my dad's first cousins (all but one of whom I'd never met before) and do a little genealogy. This is the oldest of the cousins. She was born in 1931 and just turned 85. (And, she informed me she recently took a DNA test!) She was such a joy to be with and we shared stories, information, photographs, and a lot of laughter. We actually had corresponded back in 1999 when I had just started out on my genealogy journey.
The more I get involved in genealogy, the more I love it.
I too love the opportunity to be around like-minded people. I learn so much from them and have so much fun. It sounds like you had a blast.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michelle! It was a wonderful time and I learned tons from both my instructors and my fellow students.
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