Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Suppose You Were the Only One



Suppose You Were the Only One


Suppose you were the only one who knew:
Your father liked to listen to freight trains passing his house when he was a boy.
At night he’d lie his blonde head down & listen to the trains rattling along the tracks
and he’d count the long line of cars until he became drowsy and dreamed of trains.
Would you tell your son?

Suppose you were the only one who knew:
Your mother was a fearless freckled girl who loved to roller skate.
She lived in New York City and raced along the neighborhood sidewalks
with her long red hair flying as she jumped the cracks and laughed.
Would you tell your daughters?

Suppose you were the only one who knew:
Your tall dark haired grandfather liked to do magic tricks.
He kept shiny coins ready in his vest pocket and a smile on his face,
ready to make those coins appear & disappear and make children laugh.
Would you tell your grandson?

Suppose you were the only one who knew:
Your grandmother had long strawberry blonde hair.
She washed it with rainwater and brushed it one hundred strokes every night
and when she told you your hair was just like hers it made you feel very special.
Would you tell your granddaughter?

Suppose you were the only one who knew:
Your Irish great grandfather loved St. Patrick’s Day.
He’d throw open all the windows of their New York City apartment
and he’d pound out Irish songs on their piano as he sang along & music floated out to the street.
Would you tell your nieces and nephews?

Suppose you were the only one who knew:
Your great grandparents in Ohio wrote love letters to each other.
She wrote about sewing and stringing popcorn for the tree & he wrote of planting and carpentry,
And love spilled out between the words.
Would you tell your cousins?

Suppose you were the only one who knew the family stories.
Would you pick up a pen?


Colleen G. Brown Pasquale




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26 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Charlie. I feel a strong responsibility to pass on these stories. In many cases I am the only one who knows the stories. If I can pass them on I feel I am keeping my family alive. Without the stories they are only names & dates with no dimension and no lessons for the future generations.

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  2. I love this post, Colleen. It's great encouragement to keep going. I pick up a pen less frequently these days but I still write blog posts telling what I remember about family members I now who have died.
    --Nancy. (http://nancysfamilyhistoryblog.blogspot.com)

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    1. Nancy, that's great. We can share the stories in many ways: blog posts, books, family newsletters,... We just want to be sure the stories continue.

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  3. So true and inspiring! One step everyone can take is putting a caption to every photo with people identified. I'm still working on it naming the people, the occasion, etc--the story behind the photo.

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    1. Yes, Marion, you are right. At this time I am focused on the story behind the photo.

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  4. My oldest daughter read this post and commented on facebook, writing about her son: "Wow Tristan is so much like Pop Pop. He fell asleep listening to the train for his morning nap. Wouldn't sleep until the train came." Now she knows of a connection between her son & her grandfather.

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  5. Colleen,

    I want to let you know that your blog post is listed in today's Fab Finds post at http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2016/03/follow-friday-fab-finds-for-march-25.html

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Jana! It is terrific to be included in your Fab Finds!

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  6. If we don't write it for our family who will? Thanks for putting my thoughts and feelings in a wonderful way.

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  7. If we don't write it for our family who will? Thanks for putting my thoughts and feelings in a wonderful way.

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  8. If we don't write it for our family who will? Thanks for putting my thoughts and feelings in a wonderful way.

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    1. Tonya, exactly! And if we don't write it down it will be lost in the wind.

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  9. Thought provoking and inspiring. Thanks for writing and sharing.

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    1. Kendra, your words are very kind. Glad to know I can share deep feelings that keep me researching & writing.

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  10. How did I miss this? This is such a good reminder of why we do what we do. If I ever doubt myself, I will remember your words.

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    1. As always, I appreciate your words, Wendy. We want to pass on our stories in any form so future generations 'know' their ancestors as we do.

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  11. Beautiful and it really make me think. Sometimes I think I forget there are things I know about parents and grandparents that I've never taken the time to share. Thank you for the reminder.

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    1. Michelle, genealogy is fun but also a responsibility. I have gathered the stories and now I need to share.

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  12. An original approach which links well with my A-Z theme of "Remember when....". A very motivational post to encourage us "to pick up that pen". Thank You.

    Family History Fun

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    1. ScotSue, thanks for stopping by & for your kind words. Have fun with that wonderful A-Z theme.

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  13. Wonderful post!!! What a terrific way to remind us to SHARE our stories. If we don't, who will?

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    1. Thanks, Dana. I know that my brothers are good at telling stories but do not write things down. I suppose that I am the only one.

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  14. So true and there are so many of us that we're the only ones who know. My children and grandbabies know nothing about my grandparents except what I can tell them or write about them. Found this post of yours referenced by Jennifer from Photos and Story Treasures.

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