Due to recent medical issues, I have been unable to release my posts on time. At least for a while, I will make occasional postings. If you are one of my followers on my FB page www.journeyintostory.com, you will receive a notice when a new post is released. If not, now is a good time to "friend" me.
Thank you for reading and interacting.
During the 250th birthday year of the United States, many are taking up the challenge of family exploration for the first time. If one's immigrant ancestor arrived early, there was a likelihood one would be related to a founding father or mother. Many of my family immigrated early to America, so I have discovered many surprises. For example, my 10th-generation great-grandparents came over on the Mayflower in 1620. Before you think that's special, there are probably at least 30 million Americans related to at least one of those Pilgrims, though many don't know it. Two fell overboard. My cousin drowned. One was recovered alive. Because he escaped from death, we have had two Presidents Bush.
The Mayflower voyage is significant for several reasons (Thanksgiving dinner, etc.), but of great importance was the Mayflower Compact that the men signed before they landed in what would be Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Compact outlined Self-government and the rule of law. This became the first working governmental document in North America, a forerunner to the later U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
I'm not fond of water, especially large bodies of H20. The scientific name is aquaphobia, or fear of bodies of water. For medical reasons, I have to avoid water in my nose. I could explain why, but trust me, you don't have the time! If I were with my Pilgrim ancestors and their friends, and someone asked, "Who would be willing to go to the New World?" my hand wouldn't shoot up.
There were 37 Separatists (people who wanted to separate from the Church of England) on the Mayflower, along with the ship crew and non-Separatists, for a total of 102. Half would die that first winter, including my 10th Great Grandfather, William White. Imagine the stories each could tell! They endured hardships to find a place where they would be free to practice their faith and way of life.
America is full of such stories, both good and bad. As a nation, we can learn so much and not repeat some of our earlier mistakes. Remember, "Those who forget their past are doomed to repeat it." "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." by Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana. It's hard to remember our past if we aren't aware of it. That is the challenge of the education of our youth. They can't remember the past because they haven't been properly taught it. The core meaning remains the same: a society or individual that fails to retain the memory of past mistakes and their consequences is likely to repeat those same catastrophic mistakes over again. If we don't know history, we will forget the lessons of socialism and communism. That is an easy trap for our young who want a cause to be sucked into.
The Mayflower experiment was not a perfect example, nor were our founders. After 50 years of relative peace, the colony and Native Americans engaged in King Phillip's War. The Indians lost, which set up the impetus for further incursion into Native lands. Slavery started long before the Pilgrims, with the Spanish in 1526. The British would follow suit by bringing 20 slaves to Virginia in 1619. It seems no one's hands were free of guilt. Some tribes in Africa would sell blacks from other tribes to white slave traders.
One reason for such division with other peoples was that they didn't bother to know each other's story. Stories build connections. When you don't know another's story, conflicts and misunderstandings grow. It is important to know each other's story.
During this quincentennial anniversary of America, let us pause and hear the stories around us so our differences become our strengths.
NEXT WEEK...we continue with our series, "Looking For America 250", with a look at "An American Experiment."
See you soon!
We just got back from a family vacation to Disneyland. By "we," I'm talking about our son and daughter-in-law, and their two kids. They wanted the kids to experience having their MeMaw and BePaw share the experience with them. Did we ever share the experience with them? It was quite a push for our bodies to cooperate (after all, I'm old enough to have had coffee with Walt Disney himself!).
I noticed something about the crowd walking around the place. Most were friendly and seemed to go out of their way to be nice, as you would expect at the happiest place on earth. Amid all this goodwill, I had a surprise. C.S. Lewis wrote SURPRISED BY JOY. I was surprised by grief. As we were going through the line at Flight Across California, I was telling some interesting facts about the photos displaying the history of aviation. I asked them to look for a photo of the world's largest wooden plane, the Spruce Goose. My dear friend, Dr. Lloyd Mitchell, was on the team that engineered the hydraulic system for the massive plane. Sure enough, we found it. I also saw a biplane and explained how my dad flew in one of those early contraptions. As a boy, he had a deal with a local biplane pilot. For every 10 paying customers he got to ride in the plane, he would be given a free ride.
Then it hit me. I felt this sudden surge of grief. I could feel it coming, but could not stop it. I tried to fight the tears because of frequent nosebleeds. The tears won. I used all I had to stop the grief of my father and eventually made it to the ride. I thought that was behind me, but as we left, the grief came back in a fury. There was no stopping the flood as I moved ahead of my family and turned my back on the crowd. That is when this late middle-aged woman came up to me.
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked with such concern in her eyes.
"That last ride triggered this deep hurt of grief," I replied.
By that time, my family realized something was happening and moved in to help. The woman faded away. I wish I could see her again to thank her for her compassion.
Why did people care so much for each other at Disneyland? It was an artificially controlled environment. Everyone was there to have safe fun. You could leave a stroller or wheelchair parked with your belongings in it as you went on a ride.
I lived in a similar environment in New York City following the terrorist attack in 2001. I was a recovery worker (see footnote). That attack brought people together like a caring family. The unimportant, small things didn't matter. Caring for each other did. It is no surprise that I felt culture shock when returning home near Portland, OR. People were still more involved in their own world than in caring about Americans on the other side of the country. Soon, the waving flags would disappear, and it would be business as usual.
Does it have to take tragedy to bring people together? Perhaps if we make an effort to care for those around us, we could make this country and world a better place. The truth is that we need to embrace the Prince of Peace. He is the Prince of lasting peace. In the Bible, the Book of St. John, chapter 14, verse 27, Jesus said:
"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27 NLT).
And...
"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:24-35 NLT).
Are you searching for a better America?
I encourage you to invite the Prince of Peace into your heart and life.
*Learn more about my experience by reading my book, "Sent to Serve...The Chaplains of 9/11"
Due to recent medical issues, I have been unable to release my posts on time. At least for a while, I will make occasional postings. If ...
