One project always on my list is to ‘do’ the genealogies. I
have a filing cabinet drawer stuffed with family information stretching pretty
far back. Mom started compiling things but never finished. Now I just need to organise
and present it in a readable form.
I got some of it out last night, and was delighted to read
in a chronicle from 1890 that my great-great grandfather (maybe there should be
another great there…) was praised for ‘never allowing any worthy object of
charity to leave his door empty-handed, but gives with a liberality that has
won the lasting gratitude of many; by his upright life he has won the
confidence of all with whom he has come in contact, and none rank higher in the
community than he.’
It's intriguing that this worthy ancestor was born in
Perthshire and married in a small village church (Forgandenny) where Don
worshipped when he was in boarding school. He emigrated to Wisconsin with his
parents and siblings when he was 17. And now I’m back in Scotland. How things
have come full-circle!
Nobody outside the family remembers William Scobie, but I
can’t think of a better epitaph than this comment by his contemporaries. God
explained to Samuel that he looks at a person’s heart rather than the outward
appearance we judge one another by. I would rather have my great-great-grandfather
remembered for his upright life than have him be famous for anything else.
May I leave a legacy that reveals God’s love for the world
he created.
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