Simplicity is Relative

Simplicity is relative.

Speaking of "relative". Those of us who live in the world of genealogy research have often dealt with the struggles of explaining to interested parties (albeit a fleeting interest) at family reunions the degrees of relationship between them and some famous relative of yesteryear.


You've seen it. Come on now, be honest. For that brief moment in time your audience - Aunt Milly or cousin Billy or that brother-in-law who tried so hard to fit in - shows a heightened degree of interest in the story you've just imparted. Their eyes are wide open. Their smile extends from ear to ear. Inevitably, your story has once again led someone to ask that infamous question.

"How are we related to him again?"

So naturally you launch into the logical, generation by generation (impossible to miss) lineage that explains how this person - your audience - and the object of your story, cross paths within the same family tree.

The eyes are now glazed over. The smile has fallen ever so slightly into a sloping, sliding look of consternation. There might as well be a neon flashing light over their forehead shouting out loud "I don't get it! What did he just say? I don't want to say something and sound stupid."

And of course, you want to go ahead and say out loud, "I know. I just lost you, didn't I?".

And yet, you just explained that relationship as simply as possible. How else can you explain it?

Simplicity is relative.

With that in mind, I thought I'd share this story with you, just to put into context that genealogy researchers are not the only "industry" in which clarifying certain issues are next to impossible. The following excerpt is from a British Airways 1996 Memorandum. Enjoy.

Wes

"It appears some confusion exists over the new pilot role titles. This notice will hopefully clear up any misunderstandings.

"The titles Pilot-in-command, Commander, First Officer, Pilot Flying, Pilot-not-flying, P1, P2 and Co-Pilot will now cease to have any meaning, within the BA operations manuals. They are to be replaced by Handling Pilot, Non-Handling Pilot, Handling Landing Pilot, Non-Handling Landing Pilot, Handling Non-Landing Pilot, and Non-Handling Non-Landing Pilot.

"The Landing Pilot is initially the Handling Pilot and will handle the take-off and landing, except in role reversal when he is the Non-Handling Pilot for taxi, until the Handling Non-Landing Pilot hands the Handling to the Landing Pilot at eighty knots.

"The Non-Landing (Non-Handling, since the Landing Pilot is handling) Pilot reads the checklist to the Handling Pilot until after the Before Descent Checklist completion, when the Handling Landing Pilot hands the handling to the Non-Handling Non-Landing Pilot who then becomes the Handling Non-Landing Pilot.

"The Landing Pilot is the Non-Handling Pilot until the "decision altitude" call, when the Handling Non-Landing Pilot hands the handling to the Non-Handling Landing Pilot, unless the latter calls "go-around", in which case the Handling Non-Landing Pilot, continues handling and the Non-Handling Landing Pilot continues non-handling until the next call of "land" or "go-around", as appropriate.

"In view of the recent confusion over these rules, it was deemed necessary to restate them clearly."

Live What You Love

I am currently between jobs so I'll take a moment to post an update. Lately, work has been strenuous at best, so perhaps the ending of one contract job comes as a subtle blessing in disguise. My dad is recovering nicely after succombing to a heart attack two weeks ago. We're grateful that he is still with us and doing well. Our cat (Fluffy) of 15 years just passed away yesterday morning, and it seems we've lost a close family member. She was the only pet my son (age 21) has ever known, so she was truly a mainstay in our home. She was a great pet and we have many wonderful memories.

Fluffy loved to climb on my stomach or chest and knead away.

Of course, it made reading difficult, but who's complaining, right?

Thanksgiving is coming up soon, followed by Christmas and the New Year. Have you told a family member or a friend today that you love them? Life is short. Love is forever.

As I buried our 15 year old cat today in our back yard on top of the hill under the cherry tree, my mind wandered to those ancestors of ours from yesteryear. In past generations, our ancestors buried many a child or spouse on their farms. If the death and burial of a cat can rip your heart out so much, what then must it have been like to dig a grave on your own land and bury a family member - a person - someone you love and cherish?

And yet, that very story repeated itself thousands of times over the generations across this great country of ours. Graves long ago lost to time and erosion. Only memories now. Distant. Muffled. Gray.

From time to time, however, those of us who research our ancestors have the privilege to bring those memories - those personalities of long ago - to life. To front and center. Loud and clear. Colorful.

Have you considered writing a short story about an ancestor of yours? Think about it. It will bring joy and satisfaction to your heart in so doing. Who knows - it might just do the same for someone else, too.

Life is short. Love is forever. Live what you love.

WP

Status of Research Projects

The last four weeks have been a whirlwind as I embarked on another Blog project - one that has absolutely nothing to do with genealogy. It took off like a rocket and has kept me quite busy - some 35 blog posts in 25 days, and right at 4,000 pageviews have resulted during that time frame.

But now that has settled in and "running like clockwork", it's time to make an appearance in the root diggin world. If for no other reason than to let you know I'm still alive, then so be it.

Actually, the month of August is always busy for me anyway, and back to school projects (my wife substitute teaches at the local high school). So we've settled in and the dust is clearing. What's coming up in the world of genealogy?

While you can never say with absolute certainty, the items on my list including visiting north GA again to meet up with a couple of distant cousins and capture some of their old family photographs. I also want to get up to Delaware and visit the site where old Robert Patterson lived in the 1730's - the one who died in York Co SC in 1775, that is. I also hope to get back up to Harrisonburg, VA in the not too distant future and see if I can hone in on where Robert's land was there.

Always plenty to do. Never enough time to do it. Hopefully I'll land somewhere in the middle.

WP