Christmas Books

We have a tradition of giving a Christmas book to each of our kids' families. The book for this year was Patricia Polacco's "The Blessing Cup," about a Jewish family's expulsion from Europe, a promise that they would never go hungry, and the precious last cup from the family's china set. It reminded me of a similar promise in our family history, and I wanted to make a book for our children and grandchildren that told some of our family stories including that one; and particularly I wanted to emphasize that the things that are important are not things. After a year of these ideas stirring about in my head, this was the result:

 

 At the end of this project I feel as though I've come across the plains with these people. I think I will know them when I meet them again, and I love them for their sacrifices, their faith and their unique contributions to my family history.

And yes, I spilled Chilean mate (a hay-like herb tea that I was drinking with a load of sugar so my hands wouldn't shake as I hand-wrote --eventually-- nine of these babies) all over one of the books instantly aging it like nothing else could.

I tried to credit my sources and to be accurate, but don't take this book as the authoritative word. Jay and I have discovered a wealth of stories on FamilySearch and Ancestry.com and other sites--some in conflict with others--but go there yourselves and read more to get the fuller picture.

One lesson for me is that those who wrote about their experiences get remembered. How many other experiences did our people have that are lost because they were not recorded?

Happy New Year everyone!