Melting Pot

It was some time ago that I found this and it really spoke to me, so I saved it and added it to my personal 'book of well liked quotes' that I have been compiling for myself.

"We could learn a lot from crayons . . . . . . some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors . . . . . . but they all have to learn to live in the same box."

Kind of like a melting pot isn't it? . . . . . . before you add the heat . . . . . . and then, after heat is added, the crayons would really melt together wouldn't they? Now, bring that thought along as you do your genealogy. What makes up the person that is you? Well, I can't say about you, but I have been learning a lot about myself and my DH, Shel.

I had always 'known' that I was most likely a mixture of English, Scottish, perhaps some Irish thrown in for good measure; and I think that is true for the most part. Though I haven't found the info yet there was always a 'family rumour' . . . . . . you ever hear any in your family? {g} . . . . . . that we had Indian blood in my mother's family through her father. Well, my Dad always said that Mom had to have Indian blood in her cuz she moved our living room and bedroom furniture around every spring and every fall just like an Indian would move his lodgings in those seasons. For some strange reason I don't think that is quite the proof that I would need. {g}Through some recent research I did find Dutch blood on Mom's mother's side, and German. So another couple of nationalities joined up there. On Dad's side we found French blood going back through Scotland ( there is a picture online of the family's ancient Scottish castle . . . . . . hmmm . . . . do I smell 'royalty?' . . . . {g} . . ), before that Normandy, France, and even back to Germany before that. I am far from being finished in searching through either of my parent's ancestory. It's so much fun and so interesting. I'm having a great time doing it.

Okay, for a bit about Shel's side. Again, he had always considered himself to be mainly English, Scottish and Irish, and he did have connections to royalty through his maternal grandmother to the Royal House of Lennox and Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Now I've read that Lord Darnley was not the best sort when it came to, shall we say 'good character,' but then I am a firm believer in one person not being responsible for their ancestors and their actions nor should one be held accountable for their offspring and their actions. As it says in the Good Book in Ezekiel 18:20 . . . . . The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

One great-great grandfather of Shel's came from Norway. Perhaps conditioning against the cold here in Nova Scotia was brought by this Norweigan ancestor? No family remedy against arthritis was found in his papers though I'm afraid. :-( Then there's Native blood, and surprise! surprise! it is not of the Micmac tribe found here but Wampanoag from the Cape Cod, MA area, but still under the cover of the Eastern Woodlands Indians. I am not finished with Shel's genealogy either so the search continues.

While all this is interesting to me and I am enjoying the searching and with that, meeting different people from around North America and the rest of the world, I am not focusing on any one nationality on either side and thinking that I wish it weren't so or am glad that it is so. Shel and I are only two products of this hugh melting pot of North America and we fell in love with each other, not our ancestors. Any skeletons can rattle 'til the cows come home and it will make no difference to us. We are happy and secure in our lives together, believe in God and a strong work ethic, do not believe in freebies being passed out to any one cultural group who thinks the rest of the country owes them a living and an apology, have many friends of different nationalities, love and enjoy our two children and our dogs and other creatures ( someone else can keep the spiders and snakes thank you! ), and wish to continue on as we are in this life until Jesus comes to bring us Home.

Think about that melting pot . . . . . . lots of ingredients in there aren't there? What is in your melting pot? :-)