Sunday, January 10, 2010

On Lineage

My wife Sara has gathered close to four generations of wedding photos from our family.  They're meticulously hung in our dining room.  Its actually impressive to see.  She put a lot of work and money into it.  Last night a new aquaintance examined them.  This is nothing new.  They intrigue people.  A dozen friends had gathered at our house and Jared, whom I hadn't met till that night asked when my family had come to Montana.  No one had really asked me that before.  I gave him a blank gaze and just didn't quite know what to say.  My own genesis wasn't immedietly apparent to me.  The question ferreted out a measure of shame in my mind.  I should know these things.  I should know them because I'd been told the stories before and now I realized I just hadn't listened. 

The thing about your own personal history is that it's complicated.  The story spider webs into the past along a myriad of lines and chances.  It's difficult but I'm given over to knowing it now.  Wendell would.  It looks like I'll be paying a visit to my 90 year old grandmother.

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