I know this has absolutely NOTHING to do with cooking, genealogy, food or anything related to eating but it is something that really bothers me.
I am constantly thinking of my relatives that have passed over the years and especially all the Baileys that lived here in New England since the Puritan era. But I am most enamored with my family from Washington County, Maine because it was here that my gr.gr.gr.gr.great grandfather Nathaniel Bayley founded Baileyville, Maine. And his son, my gr.gr.gr. great grandparents Josiah and Charlotte Bailey was one of the first settlers of Topsfield, Maine.
They both lived on Bailey Hill in both towns and it is remarkable of how each lived off the land.
Once they had all passed, their graves are still erect and are found in their respective homesteads. I often take my children up there to see them and at the same time, we take detours to visit the old cemeteries in the same area and pay our respects to my father, grandfather, great grandfather and Josiah's son, my gr.gr. grandfather, Thomas Bailey.
But what is troubling is that I believe we are the ONLY people in our family that does so. My sister has gone up with me on numerous occasions but that is it!
This post is NOT meant to be demeaning to my family at all. They all have lives and my passion for my heritage should not be forced onto others.
Nope, this post is geared toward EVERYONE! We walk by hundreds of headstones that are neglected, fallen over and otherwise in desperate need of repair. Thank goodness every time one of my families headstones is looking like it needs help, I do what I can.
How on earth can someone not have pride in their family? Even if you visited them once in a while.......It is a shameful sight and my children know how it bothers me and they also know how grateful I am that they feel the same way. I can rest knowing that when I am gone, they will pick up the reigns and not neglect just what made them a Bailey.
Is it because of time constraints? Is it because you think you are better than the poor farmers in your family? I just do not get it!
My kids and I even take a walk to the cemetery right down the road from where I live and simply stroll through the cemetery looking at even more neglected, forgotten souls. I truly feel for those parents who lost a small child from long ago. I and my children often wonder why an infant died. But at the same time, we see headstones of people who lived to be near 100 years old and think about what the times were like when they were born in the 18th century and died in the 19th century. I think about what their households must have been like with no electricity and dinner aromas wafting everywhere. I could go on and on but will spare you.
The point of the post is to try and understand WHY so many of you neglect your past? I have so many people telling me that they know all about this person or that, yet they have no idea where they are buried. And many who DO know, have never taken the time to go.
Come on people. Walk the walk!!!! How would you feel if 100 years after your death, no one came to your grave, said a prayer, reflected on you or did not prop up your broken headstone?
It doesn't matter how rich you are(And I find that many who neglect their heritage tend to think they are better than those farmers before them are the ones who are well to do.)go visit your family, and not just your immediate family. Take the time to visit those who struggled just to feed their families because they had no other choice. Get off your high horse. YOU folks ought to be ashamed, no one else!
They both lived on Bailey Hill in both towns and it is remarkable of how each lived off the land.
Once they had all passed, their graves are still erect and are found in their respective homesteads. I often take my children up there to see them and at the same time, we take detours to visit the old cemeteries in the same area and pay our respects to my father, grandfather, great grandfather and Josiah's son, my gr.gr. grandfather, Thomas Bailey.
But what is troubling is that I believe we are the ONLY people in our family that does so. My sister has gone up with me on numerous occasions but that is it!
This post is NOT meant to be demeaning to my family at all. They all have lives and my passion for my heritage should not be forced onto others.
Nope, this post is geared toward EVERYONE! We walk by hundreds of headstones that are neglected, fallen over and otherwise in desperate need of repair. Thank goodness every time one of my families headstones is looking like it needs help, I do what I can.
Is it because of time constraints? Is it because you think you are better than the poor farmers in your family? I just do not get it!
My kids and I even take a walk to the cemetery right down the road from where I live and simply stroll through the cemetery looking at even more neglected, forgotten souls. I truly feel for those parents who lost a small child from long ago. I and my children often wonder why an infant died. But at the same time, we see headstones of people who lived to be near 100 years old and think about what the times were like when they were born in the 18th century and died in the 19th century. I think about what their households must have been like with no electricity and dinner aromas wafting everywhere. I could go on and on but will spare you.
Come on people. Walk the walk!!!! How would you feel if 100 years after your death, no one came to your grave, said a prayer, reflected on you or did not prop up your broken headstone?
It doesn't matter how rich you are(And I find that many who neglect their heritage tend to think they are better than those farmers before them are the ones who are well to do.)go visit your family, and not just your immediate family. Take the time to visit those who struggled just to feed their families because they had no other choice. Get off your high horse. YOU folks ought to be ashamed, no one else!
It's Just That Simple!
No comments:
Post a Comment