I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to Washington DC to do family research.  I spent two days at the DAR library, which was a dream!  I hope to go back before too long to do more research.  I have sent in a request for a membership application at DAR.  I'm excited to know more about our family history & hope to share it here.  It is hard to find the time to do all of this.  Working full time makes it a challenge.  I am also a first time grandmother, which is the most important & beautiful thing ever!  I do believe that traveling backward to discover who we are helps us to move forward in our lives!  It has helped me & my purpose here is possibly help others to do the same.

I also recently had the opportunity through a dear friend to teach a little about genealogy to a 5th grade class.  It went really well & I had a great time.  They were awesome students!  Those 5th graders were more interested than anyone!  It was a pleasant surprise!  It gives me hope because I worry that we have lost our ability to give our children a sense of belonging.  A connection with our ancestors, and a sense of our families contributions to our society.  I know in my own case, if I had as a child growing up any idea of my family history & contributions, it would have made a huge difference in my life.  So, I have to say that I am a bit of a crusader for education.  Will have to see how exactly I may become more involved.  My friend, Jackie must be an excellent teacher because her kids were the best!

So, there will be more to come on the DAR membership as well as the EDU crusade.  On this Thanksgiving weekend my sister asked if I would tell a story my Dad used to tell.  He told this story on Thanksgiving last year, which sadly, was his last Thanksgiving holiday.  We all miss him very much.  He was a person who had profound influence on each of us in the family.  So, as I sign off for now, I'd like to encourage you to look back.  Ask questions & listen to the stories from the parents & grandparents or the Aunts & Uncles. Give thanks & be glad for them now because life is short.

The Pocket Watch

My father's grand parents came to America from Austria & Bohemia (Czech Republic) in the early 1900's.  They settled in South Omaha.  An area that was called "Little Bohemia".  They had to overcome many obstacles in those early days.  It was a tough childhood for my dad.  He was a street smart kid at a very early age.  His Grandpa & Grandma Kozlik owned a Bakery.  It was next to Joe Tess's in South Omaha.  My Dad, Frankie, hung out at the bakery & at Joe Tess's.  He would go fishing with his father Frank Sr. & they sold their catch to Joe Tess.  My Dad's favorite dish at Joe's was the catfish.  His favorite thing at the bakery was the barrel of pickles & the jar of raisins which he said ruined his teeth!  These were all wonderful treats.  He used to say, "It beats potatoes!"  Which they had for dinner nearly every night of the week.  My Dad told many funny stories about growing up in South "O". 

So one day, Frankie was running around town.  I think he was about 10 years old.  It seemed to me he was on an errand of some kind, maybe for his mother, Bessie.  While out & about he happened to run into his Grandpa.  Grandpa Kozlik was a Bakery owner but he was known to be the somewhat absent proprietor & it was Grandma Kozlik who actually ran the store.  It's possible Grandpa was somewhere he shouldn't have been.  Maybe at the local bar!  There wasn't any spare money to be had or many valuables in the family at that time.  The women didn't like the men spending any of it on liquor!  These were hard working people who didn't need much but a little drink now & then must have been nice!  When Grandpa Kozlik saw little Frankie on the street, he called him over for a chat.  Grandpa showed him a pocket watch.  Frankie was so impressed with it, Grandpa gave Frankie the watch.  At Christmas time, Frankie didn't have any money to buy presents.  So he decided to give the watch, along with a photo of his Uncle, Grandma's son, who had died in WW2 to his "favorite" Grandma Kozlik.  He loved Grandma very much & wanted to give her something special.  He was too young to fully understand that the watch had history.  When she opened the gift she was surprised & thrilled to see the pocket watch!  Everyone in the family asked Frankie, "How did you get this?"  He was not even aware why they would be asking him such a question.  But all was well.  The missing family keepsake was returned!  It was a beautiful loving gift & Grandma was happy!  My Dad would always tear up when he talked about her emotion as she opened the gift & saw the pocket watch.

I don't know where that watch is today but it doesn't matter.  The story is so much better.