Comments on If You Read Only One Blog This Year: Branches and roots

Glad to hear you dad is doing well and started his...

2008-08-07T10:54:00.000-05:00

Glad to hear you dad is doing well and started his job. Keeping busy will help him recover even more.

I'm in the same boat as you, Bone. I don't really know my dad's family either. We always spent more time with my mother's family. But, that was because my dad's family never really excepted my mother and he didn't like that. He's always loved my mother more than life itself. I'm

you're always welcome at the beach! it could be a ...

2008-07-30T13:53:00.000-05:00

you're always welcome at the beach! it could be a little weird for the whole "Girls Beach Trip" thing though....

Uh Bone---I only tell all those stories about my f...

2008-07-26T13:58:00.000-05:00

Uh Bone---I only tell all those stories about my family because my father loved to tell family stories. My mother hated to. She had an excellent memory but liked to live in the present My father was her family historian. After he died, my ex-uncle has become her family's official historian as his ex wife has always been a hippie with a very selective memory. She was my idol growing up but idols

Coconut - Wow, how cool! What resources did you u...

2008-07-26T12:34:00.000-05:00

Coconut - Wow, how cool! What resources did you use for your research?

Carnealian - Sounds like you were the baby of everyone, too. Hopefully, you still have cousins you can ask about things.

It's amazing how just the names and the dates on a tombstone can fill your mind with so many thoughts and questions.

Jen - I hope you can find out more about them. I wondered as

You know, everyone I know has such great relations...

2008-07-26T00:44:00.000-05:00

You know, everyone I know has such great relationships with their parents...and it makes me jealous! In a good way, of course. My father left us when I was 8 and I grew up without a father figure, something I wish everyday that I had (no, honestly, I'm not looking for sympathy, it's just a small truth in this simple guy's life). So, bone, my blog buddy, I'm stoked you're enjoying it for what

Bone, you make me cry with posts like this, but no...

2008-07-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

Bone, you make me cry with posts like this, but not in a bad way. I never knew either of my uncles. They both died in the military. The only person I have left to tell me about them is my mom. They passed away young, so it's hard for my mom to talk about them. Bits and pieces come together throughout the years, but I don't know that I'll ever really know about these 2 young men who died fighting

That's a really great story! You know how I love ...

2008-07-25T17:23:00.000-05:00

That's a really great story! You know how I love cemeteries and I get the same feelings you had when I visit family graves. I think about my aunt her her husband who got married late in life, which is why I don't refer to him as "uncle." They're buried side by side with the same name on the tombstone while his wife of 30, 40 or more years is in a cemetery by herself.

I don't know

My family is the same way as far as being closer t...

2008-07-25T11:33:00.000-05:00

My family is the same way as far as being closer to my mom's huge family, and not really talking to my dad's side. I researched my family tree in highschool and found out I have family that still owns the old family farm in Germany. Definitely interesting.

Pia - Thank you. It felt raw. I started out tryi...

2008-07-25T10:47:00.000-05:00

Pia - Thank you. It felt raw. I started out trying to make this well-structured post and then things just started flowing about my grandmother.

I thought the ending was funny. It was funny when Dad told it.

Sage - Thanks. Between you and Pia, it feels like I missed out on something in 1985. No, wait, maybe that was the year I got my Nintendo? Hmm, I'm not sure.

I am so glad your Dad is doing so well.

2008-07-25T09:08:00.000-05:00

I am so glad your Dad is doing so well.

This is hands down one of your most amazing pieces...

2008-07-25T08:21:00.000-05:00

This is hands down one of your most amazing pieces of writing yet. I always think you can't top something else you've written, and you always prove me wrong.

I was bawling, and then laughing at the end.

I sometimes feel the same way about my own Grandma, how I never appreciated her much growing up, because I was closer to my other Grandma. And because, as a kid, bad Christmas

In my dad's family there was no one else other tha...

2008-07-25T08:09:00.000-05:00

In my dad's family there was no one else other than my dad and my grandmother. His father died when he was 2 years old. At that time my grandma was expecting another child, another son. That boy died whn my dad was 12 years old. My grandma raised my dad single handedly. In India, life of a widow is very bad even now in some places. A widow at the age of 18 was no cakewalk. She struggled to bring

I loved this- i'm reading this at the beach with m...

2008-07-24T22:28:00.000-05:00

I loved this- i'm reading this at the beach with my friends and they're laughing at me for crying.

But in all truth- it's so easy to take the older people in our lives for granted- what a blessing that you're still able to hear from your dad! Each day is another story to learn!

I've done my family tree. I found out many secret...

2008-07-24T21:49:00.000-05:00

I've done my family tree. I found out many secrets and lies...it was all cool, I highly recommend it.

Start first with the living and everything they know. You'll be able to look up your grandparents since they've passed away (you can't find the living as easily). www.familysearch.com is a great place to try...and www.rootsweb.com too. If anyone else related to you has done the

Thanks for sharing, this is a nice post and I love...

2008-07-24T20:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks for sharing, this is a nice post and I love that ending about heaven and 1985... it was a pretty good year for me.

Oh I don't know the song but it's so perfect. I al...

2008-07-24T19:34:00.000-05:00

Oh I don't know the song but it's so perfect. I always think of 1985 as the last perfect year

And I'm really not sure that the ending was supposed to be so funny but it made me laugh and that's kind of hard to do today

This is probably your rawest post ever and the one...

2008-07-24T19:28:00.000-05:00

This is probably your rawest post ever and the one to make me cry the most--well for the first time

Bone your parents must be so proud of you. As your tor I am

The whole post was great but the ending was hysterical. Which I needed after crying