It’s Father’s Day weekend and I wanted to take time to honor two great Dad’s (my Dad and my husband Ron). Many men can father a child, but it takes something extra special to be a “Dad”. A Dad invests time into you with sweat, discipline, hard work, love and sometimes tears. If you have a Dad like that you have a treasure.
We lost my Dad four years ago and not a day passes by that I don’t thank God for giving me such a wonderful Dad. He took the time to invest in me and my brother and the activities we participated in. He was an awesome listener and a treasure of wise advice. I could just talk to him about anything and he would really listen. He would come and pick me up, bringing me a cup of “half cut” tea just the way I like it and we’d meet Mom at the Food Pantry to serve the community. He was one of the most generous people. I sure do miss him but know I will see him again.
Me, Dad and my brother Forrest, 7 years ago.
I also want to honor my husband Ron for the great Dad he is to our son. Ron always makes himself available to our son if he needs him. It’s been amazing to watch how he will put things aside to do things with our son. The younger years of sports, fishing, trips, four wheeling, or whatever hobby Joshua was involved in, Ron made the time. This past year since Joshua stopped driving due to his vision, Ron has been there to take him anywhere he needs to go. Always saying, “If you need me to come pick you up, just call.” When Joshua calls an Uber, Ron is like, “Why didn’t you call me?” It;s amazing to see how much he loves our son. He is a treasure and I’m thankful.
Ron and Joshua, the year their team won the Optimist Bowl
So many great memories over the years with both of these great Dads. So thankful for the cherished times and lessons learned from my Dad. So thankful for all the great times Ron has poured into our son and looking forward to many more. So in honor of Father’s Day Thank You!!! With all my love and appreciation!
Yesterday was a full day of serving and just celebrating being together and my husband Ron’s birthday. Ron’s birthday and my Dad’s Heavenly birthday are on the same day. It’s always bittersweet as we celebrate Ron’s life and reflect on Dad’s life and new life in Heaven with Jesus.
Ron is very low key with celebrations. He says, “I have you and Joshua. God gives me all I need.” That’s true but we wanted to celebrate him anyway and we have been all week in little ways. If you knew the course of his life, he has overcome so much. A lifetime of stories and testimony, but those are his to share. We are beyond thankful for him and all he does for our family. He is also a great friend to others. I’ve never seen anyone who will listen to others problems just to let them “vent”. I admire that he takes the time for people and to listen to their troubles. I have much patience but that one is beyond me. I’ll stick with serving and encouraging and he can be the Tele-sounding board. I know he worries about me and Joshua, with our visual and hearing issues. I always tell him, we are fine. God has us all. Nothing surprises the Lord. Just give each day to Jesus and let Him take care of it all. Sure enough, H e does.
Yesterday was also a time of reflection. Grief is one of the oddest things as it hits everyone differently. Some grieve so deeply and mourn. I’m different but don’t know why. My grief is more a reflection of Dad’s life and all the memories made: good and bad. Life happens to all of us. Dad was one of the best listeners. I reflect on his love for Mom, and our family. I reflect on his love for people and serving. I reflect on the hidden kindness he showed people. He loved to bless people as God had truly blessed him. In all this reflection, my heart was full as our son Joshua joined us in serving with RiceNBeans last night in Rock Hill. Ron and I serve our homeless friends each Wednesday but this was Joshua’s first time. Serving as a family is something special, as I used to serve with my parents at a Food Pantry. Loving on others who are hurting is a priceless gift.
Yesterday when I woke up the photo memory that was on my iPad screen was a picture of Dad reading to Joshua when he was about three. Ron says I keep too many pictures on my iPad but I love these photo memories. They make me smile. I looked back over many photos with Dad in them and oh my goodness, the memories! These reminders bring joy to my heart. I also have a lot of mental snapshots in my mind of things experienced in life. There are so many life lessons in those memories.
Remembering Dad 💗
The one thing I really want to emphasize here is we never know when we will take our last breath. Everyday we have new mercies and opportunities to show mercy to others and walk in God’s love. Are you doing that? The day Dad died, it was a shock. We had taken him to the hospital then went down the road to celebrate Ron’s birthday dinner, fully expecting to go back to the hospital and take Dad back home. God had other plans: He changed Dad’s residence to Heaven. Dad was spiritually ready. He loved the Lord and lived for Him. We didn’t get to say goodbye though. Make sure you are ready to meet Jesus. He loves each of us so much. None of us are beyond the reach of His forgiveness. Check out Romans 10:9-11. “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” (ESV). I would also like to emphasize that no matter the age of your children, we should live out our faith in God as a testimony to them. We pass along a legacy of strong unwavering faith and service to God. Children see that, no matter their age.
Bottom line, celebrate today, those who are with you and those who have already finished their race. We can be a blessing everywhere we are. That does take humility and a JOY (Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last) mindset. It’s the best way to live life. If you like this blog post, feel free to subscribe and share. I write at least once weekly but sometimes more. Sometimes it’s funny, other times deep but always transparent. I love when people can be REAL with no pretense. What you see is what you get. That’s the way I live. My hearts desire is that I will be a reflection of my Savior and bring glory to His name. Be blessed! Www.shannonkhinson.com
Me and my brother Forrest many years ago on Easter.
Today four generations sat to hear my nephew Justin preach. Four generation; the youngest being my three year old great niece sitting with her Mommy to hear her Daddy preach and the oldest, her two great Grandmas (GG and Maw Maw) I won’t give their ages away My Mom who is also Grandma and GG Great grandma interpreted for me. And let me tell you for an 82 year old (oops, there her age) she did quite well. Justin began with Psalms 23 and the fact that God’s goodness and mercy pursue our family daily, did not escape my attention. He shared that before David wrote Psalms 23, King Saul had tried to kill him. David was running for his life. Yet Psalms 23 is one of the most encouraging and peace-filled scriptures.This shows us that even though David was running for his life from King Saul, he still proclaimed The LORD as his Shepherd! David wrote of God’s provision even in the valley of the shallow of death. David wrote Surely goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life. See Psalms 23.
Yesterday we celebrated Mom’s 82 birthday. It was a fun time with all my brother Forrest family and his grandkiddos. Truth be told, in family situations, although I love being there, I only comprehend a small part of what’s said. The overlap of voices makes it hard for me to follow conversations. However, I loved watching the little ones. It reminded me how much Jesus loves children. Jesus said in Matthew 19:14, “but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”” (ESV) Also check out Jesus words in Matthew 18:3, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (ESV) These things went through my mind as I watched the little ones play. The oldest 3 and youngest almost 8 months. Their joy, laughter and innocence ~ God wants us to be like that. Not weighed down by the cares of the world, rather to trust our Heavenly Father and find joy in Him.
As we were taking Mom home last night, she mentioned Justin was preaching today and she was planning to go. My husband Ron asked me if we could take her and I agreed. I woke up early to have some time in prayer before we needed to get ready. As I prayed I told God, “Lord you know I won’t be able to hear him well. Help me get something out of the service. Help me understand something.” When we arrived Mom offered to sign for me. That’s a pretty big accomplishment for an 82 year old to sign a whole service when she doesn’t sign much. She did a get job keeping up with Justin, who did an amazing job sharing God’s Word.
As we sat on the second row, I thought of all our family has and continues to go through; my visual and hearing gradual loss, God’s faithfulness through it all, my Dad’s fight with cancer,, my brother Forrest fight with acute leukemia, God’s faithless, God allowing me to be a perfect match bone marrow donor for his transplant in August 2020, God’s faithfulness, Forrest is 4 1/2 years post transplant and doing great! He and his wife now have four grandchildren and it brings such joy to my heart watching them enjoy these precious blessings. We still have struggles. Our son Joshua voluntarily stopped driving this past year, feeling his vision wasn’t good enough. That showed tremendous maturity. We all continue to trust God with our visual and hearing issues. But you know what, God’s goodness and mercy continues to pursue us every single day of our lives. The last song of the service today rang so true ~ All my life you have been faithful. All my life You have been so so good. With every breath that I am able. I will sing of the goodness of God. Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me. Your goodness is running after,it’s running after me. With my heart laid down, I surrender now, I give you everything….. Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
Whatever you are facing in life, you can depend on God’s faithfulness. Life doesn’t always go the way we think, but He is always faithful and always gets the last word. He’s pursuing us daily with goodness and mercy. Imagine goodness and mercy constantly following you. That’s what God does. Be encouraged! Whatever God brings you to, He will bring you through it. Hold on to Him and thank Him for His goodness and mercy.
My precious family: Ron, me and Joshua. Photo credit Tami P.
This morning I find myself reflecting on life. This is not unusual, as I do this quite often. Thankfulness is a frame of mind/attitude I try to maintain. As I reflect on life, I will tell you that I am quite blessed.
Before you start thinking Must be nice let me share a wee bit of life lately. This past Sunday evening I was having the best time decorating our house for Christmas. I love Christmas lights and have three mini lighted trees and our son Joshua’s original small tree that is about 25 years old, all up and decorated. My husband Ron had teased that he should put the big tree together then I could decorate all night since I was on the roll with decorating. Interesting how fast things can change when you least expect it.
It was getting late and I decided to get in bed and read to help me unwind. ( I am currently reading our book club selection for this month but it is challenging to see, as the online Library only allows me to zoom large to a certain degrees. Even at that degrees it is challenging and slows me down.) I had taken a natural sleep aid earlier but it didn’t seem to be working. I had broken a tiny piece off a prescription sleep medicine I have and took that. Let me just say, never again! Don’t mix natural and prescription medicine even if it is a *tiny tiny* piece. I had a bad reaction to the combo: shivering, cotton mouth feeling, hyperventilating which caused a full blown panic attack. During this time I kept saying the name of Jesus over and over. I quoted scripture to try to calm myself. I asked Ron to get Joshua and for them to pray with me. I quoted Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (NKJV)
Ron ended up calling 911 and I was taken by ambulance to the ER. Joshua rode with me in the ambulance and was such a calming presence. Ron followed in the car. I was so scared. Joshua was with me the whole time, while Ron had to get through to where I was. In the process the ER nurse was trying to find out my information from Joshua but when she pulled him away, I panicked again and he came right back, telling the nurse Ron should be there shortly. I did have the presence of mind to be able to give my Social security number. Thank God for the moments my mind would clear enough to tell them about my Cochlear implant processor and if it fell off I would not hear anything. I told them if the battery died I would hear nothing. I was hooked up to an ekg machine, blood pressure monitor and was getting potassium by IV to counteract with the anxiety.
I have a mistrust of the medical community since the COVD mess broke out. I never got the vaccines after reading up on them. I saw the contradictions of CDC , news and hearing first hand reactions and side effects. It was a no brainer to me. They were not injecting me with any poisons. I had a discussion with my doctor who wanted to know why I refused the flu shot as well. I remember saying, “Dr. C my immune system works great. I was my brother bone marrow donor. Why try to fix what’s not broken?” Yep, I sure did say that. Not to mention I had an eye surgery years ago that was not even needed: thus my strong distrust of the medical community.
Monday morning I was able to go home and I rested the entire day. I rarely do that. I like to stay busy, as it distracts me from thinking too much. Ron will tell you that I’m a thinker. He will ask, “what are you thinking about?” I will laugh and respond, “You don’t want to know.”
As I sit here, knowing what our family deals with: limitations with hearing and vision, always having to plan ahead to get things done since transportation requires someone else’s help for two people in our family. Then dealing with normal life itself…. Normal life recently as in yesterday Ron discovering all four rotors on the wheels of our car are malfunctioning, meaning he will have to do it all again. He knows how but it’s not an easy thing to do. We also had a water pipe line replaced yesterday to the tune of $2500. Yes, there is actually more to this list of dealing with *LIFE* but that’s not my point here. The point is we are alive. We are blessed to have each other. God is faithful in the bad times as well as the good times. He gives us strength beyond ourselves to rise up and move forward. Knowing God’s Word really stabilizes me. For example, “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) and also, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)
I praise God this morning. Thankfulness fills my heart. We might be a tiny little family but God has given us great strength and resilience to rise up in His strength. We are beyond blessed! Sure we have multiple things to deal with on a regular basis BUT God always is before us, behind us with His hand of blessing on our heads. We really can’t ask for more than that.
This Thanksgiving season I ask you to pause and be thankful for everything: the good, the bad and the ugly. Find the diamonds in the dust of daily life. Don’t forget those who are without; whether it be those that are homeless, without family or having health issues. Remember them and honor them in some way. It is far more blessed to give than to receive.
I didn’t want to end this day without giving Glory to God for the amazing miracle of my brother Forrest’s life. God is good and so so faithful! Not many people have three birthdays but my brother has three: the day he was born, the day he accepted Jesus as his Savior and the day he had a bone marrow transplant. Today marks his 4th birthday and we are so thankful! Some of you have followed my blog from the beginning and were part of the team that prayed for him. Thank you! Today he continues to be cancer free. He is thriving and quite frankly, it’s hard to keep up with him. He’s a busy family man who loves God, loves his family and serves faithfully. Four years ago, God brought him through the fiery trial of acute leukemia. He now is PopPop times 4. His fourth grandbaby was just born.
As I was cleaning up the dinner dishes tonight, I began to sing the chorus of “Say Amen”. I will post the music video for you below. The chorus goes like this… Has anybody here found Him faithful? Anybody here knows He able? Say Amen! Has anybody here seen His power? Anybody here brought through the fire? Say amen! Has anybody here found joy in the midst of sorrow, peace in the storm, hope for tomorrow and you’ve seen it time and time again, just say Amen! I love that song and the testimony that it shares.
We all have a testimony and are called to testify and give Glory to God. I couldn’t let this day end without doing just that. Life is unpredictable. My brothers acute leukemia diagnosis back in 2020 came like the “meanest curve ball” out of no where, but today I can say “God knocked that ball out of the park!” Don’t stop praying! God’s ways are so much higher than our ways. All we can do is submit to God, pray, worship, serve and trust Him for His best. You are loved! Keep looking to Jesus! He will see you through! Thank you Jesus for the Miracle of my brother’s life and thank you for blessing his family over and beyond! Www.shannonkhinson.com
Opening the dining room blinds this morning, I noticed the Squabs (baby Mourning Doves) were very active and have grown so much. I grabbed my iPad to video them. They are such a wonder to observe. They really do make my heart happy. The Momma Dove sits all regal while her Squabs “carry on” with their activity. It is truly the neatest thing to watch.
Yesterday when I looked out the window, the Momma had left the nest but the Squabs were there. I told my husband Ron, the Momma was possibly watching from somewhere in the yard. I’m guessing from their size, they may be near the time to leave the nest. I was telling my Mom about them yesterday and mentioned how I’d like to clean the front porch once they have learned to fly and leave the nest. I told her, “ I’m going to put a pause to any more “dovey” reproduction plans until I get my porch cleaned. “ Every time I get ready to pressure wash the porch we see a new nest. They are messy but they are also worth the mess with how precious they are.
Life is like that in so many ways. Sometimes our “plans” are put on hold for whatever reason. We have to wait until the “busy squab-messy” season has transitioned to resume a “normal” life. (If there is such a thing) We are in a season like that. Our son moved back home in April and has been in a full time Massage Therapy program. He has given up driving and sold his car, due to his visual issues. He’s trying out his hearing aids once again to see if they might help him understand better in class. That’s yet to be seen. He hears some voices better than others. I am so proud of him. He’s not perfect, far from it actually (but aren’t we all) but he has humbled himself and is doing his best with what he has. He’s learned to “laugh” at what life throws. He has a resilience and takes his frustrations out in the gym.
Like the Momma Dove, we as parents are there while he’s learning to transition and handle what life throws. He is a marvel to watch and he makes my heart smile. Ron has been so awesome with him, willing to take him wherever he needs to go. The things you do for your “squab” but it’s worth every second. God has a plan and we are trusting Him every step of the way. I will be the first to tell you, it’s not easy. It can be hard. As a parent you want to “fix things” but God is the one who is leading. Sometime we need to stay out of “His” way and just pray and trust. That’s where I am at this point.
I know God has us. He is trustworthy and won’t fail us. He has a plan and we are holding tight to His hand. God has you too! Whatever your situation, you can give it to Him and trust Him to strengthen you as you wait for His plan to unfold. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”(NLT)
If you liked this blog post, please subscribe and share. It’s interesting the way blogs come to life. I will see something, read something, or something might ha and God speaks to my heart. Those are the times I write. It usually happens once a week, sometimes more. I am coming up on my third anniversary of blogging and have posted over 200 blog posts since July 18, 2021. The blog is a continuation of my journey that I shared in my autobiography, “Rooted by the Water”. You can find it on Amazon. I am considering writing a fiction novel, but awaiting on confirmation from the Lord concerning that. We will see where He leads. Life sure does give much fodder for story line.
God bless you all and have an awesome Saturday. I will post on my Facebook page, the video I took of the Squabs this morning. Check out my page on Facebook, Rooted by the Water. Www.shannonkhinson.com
It’s been over a week since I published my last blog “Meet the Squabs #200”. Since that post, the baby doves have flown away, embarking o n their new adventures. Truth be told, I was sad to see them go. I had watched the parents and squabs throughout the days. Now the nest is empty. There has been a nest on our porch for the last three years though so perhaps they will choose our porch again.
When Joshua was in his teens I used to joke about our house being the “Hinson Inn”. There was always someone here.You know you got really accustomed to people over when you would forget to close the bathroom door. At one point I even thought of putting a sign saying, “No Vacancy, Drive On”, but of course we never did. Being a parent is one of the greatest gifts and each change can be beautiful. When Joshua “flew the coop” several years ago and lived in Arizona for a while, that was a hard but beautiful thing to witness.
Each stage in life brings its challenges and beauty. I guess it’s all in how you look at things. When you look for the good, you are more likely to find it. When you look through “a critical lens”, no one measures up.
That’s one of the beautiful things about being a Mother. (I meant to write a blog in honor of Mother’s Day but I never got around to it so I will touch on that here.) Being a Mother is a God opportunity and priveledge to pour into your child no matter what their age. My Mom still does that and she is 81 years old. I know she’s always there and that is a comfort and joy. Joshua knows the same is true about me.
Now that Joshua has moved home and will be starting Massage Therapy school in June, we again have this gift of opportunity to pour into him. I’m beyond thankful he chose to not move to Florida with his roommates. God has him on a different path now. I told my husband Ron that Joshua sees how we respond to situations. For example, he has seen my heart for serving others. He jokingly asked me last week how much I was getting paid for the various things I do. I looked at him and said, I don’t do this for money. My reward is in Heaven. Blogging, teaching, serving in ministry to the less fortunate and serving my family cost me something but I don’t get paid for it in earthly things but the treasures I receive through smiles, seeing growth, encouraging others, being molded by Jesus into what He desires, is priceless.
Joshua also sees my response to situations that are less than appealing. Everyone has to deal with the flesh and how we humanly would like to respond but know God desires a godly response. Joshua said to me a couple of weeks ago, “Mom you don’t have to be a Saint 24/7”. I responded, “God is always watching.” As a parent, teacher, volunteer, friend or whatever our role, we have this god given opportunity to respond in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. No matter how hard it is at the moment, we can choose to die to the flesh and live according to the Spirit.
Which brings me to the beauty of change when we “let go and let God”. Last week we finally finished our “Women of the Bible” study. I would have never thought I could do that. I kind of “fought God” with yielding to Him in the process because it required large chunks of my time and, preparation, and memorization BUT HE ENABLED me to do it when I let go and said “okay Lord I will do this”. He taught me much in that surrender and submission to His desires. I witnessed the beauty of change in not only myself but in the other girl’s in our Bible study. We are created with His purpose in mind for such a time as this. Wherever He has you, submit to His desires. It is so worth all the stretching.
Our next study is potentially Revelation. That is such a daunting topic because I know little about it. Another girl in our group would like to lead this one and I am encouraging her all the way. She is more of a “visual teacher” which is great because we have some “Visual learners” but she wants me to help. I told her “she can do this” but of course I’ll do whatever she needs to support the effort. We can “tag team” it. We are looking forward to this change and can’t wait to see what God will reveal to us.
I’m also looking forward to this new season Joshua is entering. I know it won’t be an easy one but I intend to pray him through it. We will move forward trusting God to guide the way and open or close doors that should or shouldn’t be entered.
What a privilege to witness change unfolding right before your eyes. Remember “beauty lies in the eys of the beholder” so if you want to witness the beauty of change, adjust those “lens” and ask God to reveal it to you. It’s there, you have to look for it sometimes.
I love sharing what God puts in my heart. I pray it’s a blessing to you. If you like it, please feel free to subscribe and pass it along to bless someone else. We all need encouragement. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. I hope it inspires you to never give up in hard situations. God is always there to help us. Surrendering to Him years ago was the best decision I’ve ever made. Be blessed and better yet, be a blessing. Www.shannonkhinson.com
Today marks 30 years of marriage. If I knew in the beginning what I know now, I would have held my tongue on the petty stuff that wasn’t worth arguing over. The saying “you live and learn” has certainly proven to be true. Marriage goes so much further than that though. You also grow, learn to work through tricky situations, listening to each other, Praying for each other individually and together. There is a balance of love, encouragement and persevering that develops over many year.s. We have seen some great times, making great memories. We have also seen some of the toughest of times, shedding tears and even laughed through some of them in utter disbelief but we do it together.
We are better together. Are we perfect? NO! We fall down, we get back up. We fuss, we apologize. We forgive and honestly move on. Marriage is working through life together. We are not a Ron or a Shannon, we are a couple. We’ve seen so many couples hit rough patches, have midlife crisis, entering new stages in life then “toss in the towel”. Little do they realize that when a couple works through these things together, they come out so much stronger. Hold on to your marriage! It’s worth fighting for. You won’t always feel the “warm fuzzy feelings” that are there in the beginning. Love is a decision. When we exchanged our vows, we meant it.
I’m thankful to be Ron’s wife. Through it all, God has strengthened our love for each other as we grow stronger in Him. I’m thankful for this life we have built together and continue growing each day. I pray God blesses us with many more. Happy Anniversary Ron! I love doing life with you!🤟🏼
Time sure does fly. You blink and a three years has gone by. Tomorrow, March 12 is not only my husband Ron’s birthday but also my dad’s third heavenly birthday. Three years ago tomorrow we took him to the hospital, fully expecting to bring him home. After all, his momma lived to be 101, bouncing back after many trials. It’s true that God’s ways are not our ways. When God calls us home, we will go.
We have handled his loss well because we know we will see him again. It was a “see you later” knowing he is with Jesus now. No more cancer, no more pain. But I sure do miss him.
Today when I was outside changing the garden flags, I walked to the back fence and smile. There in full bloom was the tulip tree we planted almost three years ago in honor of dad. He and mom have a beautiful one and I love their tulip tree. When dad died, I asked Ron if we could plant one. It blooms around the time of his heavenly birthday each year. Our upstate South Carolina soil is red clay. It’s not the best for growing things but we were extra careful mixing in some peat moss and good soil in the large hole we dug. I wanted to make sure it had the best chance of survival. So far so good. Each year it’s grown a bi more and has more blooms. Seeing those blooms today put a smile in my heart.
Grief is the oddest thing. Memories come all the time of treasured moments over the years. I was a “Daddy’s Girl”. I could talk to him about anything and he would listen and give sound advice. He enjoyed a good game of Skipbo with the family. We used to have four generations around the table playing that card game. He and his momma were sharp players and they both played to win. I recently found Skipbo online and downloaded it on my iPad. It’s a fun card game but nothing compares to the memories when we all played it together.
Dad and his Momma playing Skipbo
Tomorrow is also food pantry day. Mom and dad both volunteered at the Fort Mill Church of God food pantry for years. Eight years ago I started volunteering with them there. Dad would swing by and pick me up to take me with him and meet Mom there. He would always stop by and get me and mom a cup of tea: sweet for mom and half and half for me. I miss him when we are volunteering. Seems like he should be in the next room praying for the clients as them come in. Mom still does that and I help pack the food boxes.
Most of all I miss the talks. He was a very generous man who loved his family well. His generous spirit and legacy lives on in us all. In honor of my Dad, this blog is for you. Oh and one more thing Dad… Forrest is doing so well and your great grands are showing the Kenley genes. My goodness. When I see pictures of them I see your boy. I know you would love that. Mom sure does. Shes doing very well too, a strong woman. Love and miss you always.
Me and dad on the way to volunteer at the food pantry
History has always fascinated me. When it comes to family history it becomes personal. It’s just amazing to try tracing your ancestry line. Last October i found the Ancestry App and asked my husband if I could subscribe to research my family tree. I took a deep dive and am still digging.
It’s like going down a deep rabbit hole and it is truly fascinating. The Ancestry App has government census reports, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage and divorce documentation plus more. The thing is, you need names. The further you trace your family from yourself, you start having to make educated guesses. These census papers were handwritten and let me tell you, they didn’t always put the same thing. Sometimes it shows initials with the last name and sometimes it is spelled out. You can match up dates and locations and figure it out the best you can. One of my aunts nieces told me about http://www.find-a-grave.com Sometimes the website will list spouse, parents, siblings and children. The keyword there is “sometimes”. I have found that’s not always true.
On my dad’s side of the family, I’ve been able to trace back to 1777. How cool is that! My great great grandfather was a Captain in the Confederate army. I’ve had to “jump some hurdles” though and it’s been an headache at times. My Nanny Kenley’s dad was called Punk. Nanny’s brother was called Uncle Stumpy. No, those weren’t their real names. I got my mom to look to see if there were any papers and what she gave me “connected a lot of dots”. The names she had given me to enter into the system helped me find the records relating to Nanny’s family. As I searched and found them I said, “BINGO”! Yeah!
On my mom’s side, I’ve discovered much that I didn’t know. My grandmother had 11 siblings. My grandfather had a big family too. It’s kind of sad that they didn’t stay intact. Out of all those great aunts and uncles on my mom’s side, I only knew a couple of them.
On my dad’s side I knew my great aunts and great uncles. Even dad’s cousins and their kids. I love these connection. My husband and I have only one son. I have one brother. It seems we have a real small family. As I have researched, I see the family roots run deep and it’s nice to see that connection. Nanny’s family traces back to Ireland. It looks like mom’s side of the family may have come from France. Im still looking. Hopefully I will be able to print or share the information I’ve found with my brother and cousins. I don’t know if they will be as intrigued as me but I have really enjoyed this search.
In the ancestry file dad had, he had some papers on some of Nanny’s ancestors. There is a story that shows a generous spirit. I love the idea of have a legacy of generosity.
As I’ve made these connections within my family tree, I wonder about their lives. I think about my great great grandfather that fought for our freedom. Freedoms that are being taken away by our present government.
Worry will get us no where though. God is sovereign and I will just continue to pray for His direction. As for me, I hope to pass along a legacy of faith, resilience, love and compassion for others. We are called to humbly love and serve others. Lord help us to do just that and do it for Your glory.
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