Checking In & Hanging On…

Well my Friends it’s been a few [rough] days since I last said howdy & I just wanted to poke my head in to let you know, my Family & I are OK… we’re all, hanging on…

It’s been quite a year for me with the Recession kicking me smack dead in the tail but I must admit, the advancement of my Mom’s Alzheimer’s Disease has knocked me off my feet!

A sudden change in the symptoms we’d grown accustomed to, has created the need for both my Mom & our Family to make immediate lifestyle changes.

I will be honest, in my life to date, I have NEVER encountered anything as vicious & debilitating as Alzheimer’s. It steals the spirit of the person you know & love while leaving the body & then serves up a brand new being {complete with character traits} who hardly resembles your loved one.

I’ve committed to making this time with my Mom count. It’s normal for me to want to “fix it”, to make things better but in this instance, all I can do is rise to the challenge & be the rock she needs.

I’m also recommitting to my Genealogy research – to keep it going inspite of. My Mom has been the ONLY person in my Family to support the work wholeheartedly from the start. She would not want it to stop.

I am a different woman than I was just 2 weeks ago… Amazing what transitioning a Parent does to the heart.

Every time you think of me just say a prayer for my Mom, Geraldine Barwick, that her life will progress with ease.

Thanks for your support too Friends. You all have been my rock.

With love,

Luckie.

OGR’s 1st Blogiversary: Where Do We Go From Here?

With Our Georgia Roots {the Blog} celebrating her 1st Blogiversary, it seems only fitting that I return to the start of my family’s Wilkes County history – Rev. James Madison DICKEY & The Smyrna Church.

After a very, VERY emotional week, I am even more convinced in the presence of destiny & its ability to shape our lives.

The WINGFIELD-CARTER descendants are who we are today because of the journey Grandma Catie took at age 10 yrs from a CODY Plantation in Warren Co. to Washington-Wilkes.

Funny, I am usually so focused on validating historical facts & following the next clue, I rarely attach to the emotion of events. But tonight is different…

Though I will never [really] know, I hope that Minister DICKEY was kind to my Catie. I hope he was empathetic to a young girl, who’d just been taken away from all that was familiar.

I’m sure she was afraid. I hope that little Catie had been taught to pray by her Mother, Kate & that she found comfort there.

This all may be far from reality… I just merely hope it is not.

I’ve witnessed some pretty phenomenal events since re-establishing OGRs online presence a year ago – from discovering new Wilkes Co. cousins to being gifted with the DANIELS-COBB Family Bible that in the logical world, I would never have known existed! I’ve even been blessed with a new GeneaTribe of friends who support me through my research & into real-life {thank you!:-}.

My thoughts for the future? I hope the living DICKEY descendants will share any information they have regarding my Catie. I’ve emailed them again tonight – fingers crossed. I want to know more about my mysterious Grandma Annie FAVER & her family. I’d love to sit with Wilsie WINGFIELD CARR & learn about Archibald S. WINGFIELD’s connection to my Ancestors. Wouldn’t it be great to confirm my Grandfather James WINGFIELD had brothers and/or parents close by?

I also pray for an abundance of what Buddhists refer to as patience-acceptance because undoubtedly, there will remain obstacles & black history holes that I will have to learn to live with.

I’m thankful. I know the Ancestors chose me to be their voice & that all roads lead to this one.

So here’s to staying strong on the journey…

Happy Blogiversary Our Georgia Roots, I pray I’m doing you proud!:-)

Luckie.