The 44th in a series on my family tree Prompt: Ghost Story ~*~ Some family stories are just too strange to be believed. This particular tale first came to light earlier this year during an email exchange with my cousin Kelly who is working on the McDonall family tree with me. In the sharing of … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Ghost and Mrs. Cox
The 44th in a series on my family tree Prompt: Shadow ~*~ Every family has its shadow characters. People whose misery casts a pall wherever it lands and upon whomever it entangles. In previous posts reference has already been made to family members who created emotional havoc for their immediate circle and, indeed, for ensuing … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Shadow of War
The 35th of a series on my family tree Prompt: Free Space ~*~ For this post a bit of license as I share an excerpt from the novel I’m writing based on the life of my Scottish grandmother, Alice Isabel Gordon. It’s a story of redemption and more than that I cannot say. This novel … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Playing Dead
The 33rd in a series on my family tree Prompt: Service ~*~ Unforeseen circumstances threw me into full-time service in our horse barn this week, and so this will be short and, perhaps, a little philosophical. The heart of service is a willingness and desire to help others. Interestingly enough, this desire begins in the … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Heart of Service
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
The 13th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Sisters When it comes to writing about sisters I hit a brick wall. I don’t know the first thing about it. I’m a big sister to my younger brother, and I hope a good … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Gordon Girls
The 12th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Joined Together It was the beginning of a 60-year love match when, in June 1870, 24-year-old Henry Belton (1846-1931) of London, Ontario, wed his sweetheart, Mary-Jane Crouse (1850-1932), the 20-year-old daughter of William D. … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Love Match
The 11th in a series of posts about my family tree.Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Flowers My first true memory of flowers stems from when I was six years old. It was 1968. My younger brother, James, and I lived with granny Alice (Gordon) McDonall in Westlock, Alberta for … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Memories of Flowers
The tenth in a series of posts about my family tree.Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Worship Worship is an insanely personal thing. My grandfather Stanley McDonall, an irascible yet wise man in his own way, used to say, “No one needs to know your religion, your politics, or how … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: A Quiet Faith
In So Many Words 