The 27th in a series on my family tree Prompt: Extended Family We are more than the sum of our parts. To me this certainly rings true when considering the extended family. We do ourselves a disservice when we dismiss the influence of the broader clan. There’s much to be learned about time and place … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: We are Family
The 26th in a series on my family tree Prompt: Identity Identity is so deeply nuanced that it’s not a topic I can tackle in just a few days with any satisfaction. And so, I’ve landed on writing a very short piece of fiction based on a true story. Here goes … ~*~ “One more … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: A Case of Mistaken Identity
The 24th in a series on my family tree Prompt: Broken Branch In 1986 I inherited a 100-year-old black leather railroad bag from my maternal grandfather, Stanley Lewis McDonall. It was filled with old family documents, including letters and photographs and handwritten historical accounts, and as I reviewed them it was like discovering a part … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Somewhere Out There
The 23rd in a series of posts about my family tree Prompt: Popular Names Giving someone a name is pretty serious business. There are traditions we live up to; bump up against, or simply choose to ignore. Some traditions demand first-born sons be named for the father; similarly first-born daughters for the mother. In larger … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Naming Names
The 22nd in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Mistake Shedding light on the family tree can be a bit of a vanity project. Who among us has not thrilled at the discovery of famous (or infamous, as the case may be) ancestors … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Not to Be … There is no Question
The 22nd in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Conflict Conflict begins with the crossing of a boundary. An uninvited someone or something enters our mental, emotional, physical or spiritual space and provokes a defensive response. Basically, our solitude is invaded; our focus … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Love at Home
The 21st in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Yearbook Yearbooks ~ a compendium of memories. Many sweet; some less savoury. Lives lived. Hairstyles regretted. Old friends remembered. A trove of family pride and potential embarrassment for the entertainment of generations to follow. … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Heart of Community
The 20th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Textile Our family tree is rich with pioneer history. From the United Empire Loyalists (the Springer, Sumner, Fairchild lines) who fled north of the 49th parallel to homestead the untamed lands of the Talbot … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Value of a Sewing Machine in Chickens
The 19th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Food and Drink For some time I’ve been eyeing a handwritten recipe for my Scottish great grandmother, Jane (Robson) Gordon’s shortbread. It’s one I inherited after my granny Alice, her daughter, died in 1994. … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: A Short One on Shortbread
The 18th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Social My Scottish-born grandmother, Alice (Gordon) McDonall, loved her Canadian roots. In fact, she loved them so much that every time we visited her in small town Westlock, Alberta, (about 50 miles north of … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Canadian Roots
Shedding Light on the Family Tree 