Where Does the Time Go?

Ok, I admit it. I'm a bad little blogger. I don't post regularly, I procrastinate, and I'm not very interesting. So sue me. Still, between the French Congregation and my new hobby, I'm quite busy.

New hobby? Yes indeed. By my previous posts, you can probably guess where this is headed. I've been completely immersed in genealogy. Now that I know who my biological mother is, I have been able to trace hundreds of people in that side of the family tree. As I learn more, I want to know more. I've gone mental over this. I have even been watching the series "Who Do You Think You Are?" In this series, famous people use the website and experts to help them to find out something about their past that they didn't know before. It's amazing.

I think that the desire to trace our lineage goes back past ancient Israel. The Bible uses very precise genealogy to trace Jesus' lineage back past the time of David. It was important to them because inheritance depended on knowing your lineage. It was also important for the determination of the Messiah, but that's another matter. Nonetheless, I think that we have this basic need within us, and the discovery of my biological mother has aroused this curiosity in me. But now I realize that I'm stuck. No, I still have lines to trace on my mother's side. That's still available to me. But I also recognize that not only may I never discover my biological father, the information that I have hints that he, too, was adopted. If so, and he has no history of his biological family, then my search on that side ends. Unless... Unless I at least use DNA testing to see where the paternal line comes from. That's a possibility, but I find it less satisfying. Still, it helps to see where I'm from.

You might ask what is the most exciting thing I have found so far. Well, it isn't that I'm related to a king or queen, that's for sure. I guess the most exciting thing is that I have strong links to Scotland and Ireland. I have always had an affinity for those areas, and now I have a hint as to why this is so. Believe what you wish about ties to a land, and I'm not sure that I believe it, but I do feel a link there, and I always have. As I go deeper, I hope to understand more and to find a connection. Until then, please bear with me.

Just Waitin' For The Hammer to Fall

Well, the hammer fell. We are now officially touched by this rotten economy and the imbeciles in charge of the state budget. My wife is being laid off from her position as an instructional aide.

This may not seem like much to some. In some schools, an instructional aide is a luxury. Some schools don't have enough teachers. I don't disagree with that image. However, whether it is a teacher, an aide, a clerk, a nurse, or a janitor, the ones that suffer are the children. While district administrators wrangle over getting an extra $30k a year because they have degrees, teachers with degrees are waiting tables or sitting at the Employment Development Department hoping for a job. I'm sorry, but cuts like this directly affect the kids, and make it tougher for a state like California to have the intelligent future adults they will need to compete with the rest of the world.

There was an episode of the West Wing that I liked. Rob Lowe, playing the character of Sam Seaborn, went into a tirade about how schools should be palaces, and how teachers should be paid six figures. If you get a chance to see that episode, do it. (For the life of me, I can't remember the episode title. Just go watch them all. It's worth it.)

It is amazing to consider the amount of waste that goes on in government and school administration. Just a bit of accounting intelligence and wise choices would allow our kids to have what they need in terms of materials, teachers, and even healthy meals. Instead, many of these kids are going to be stuck in crowded classrooms, with some teachers who are only there due to tenure and aren't really good teachers (not saying all teachers - there are some really excellent teachers out there), and bathrooms that look like a "before" picture in a Scrubbing Bubbles commercial.

What's the solution? Ask the idiots in charge. You won't get a clear answer, because most are just worried about spouting the party line or protecting and enhancing their own positions. And the worst part is that they keep getting elected by people who think Fox News is the truth and parrot the words of Glenn Beck by rote, and others who are so wimpy that they won't stand up for what they believe. (Just another reason to have zero faith in the political systems of this world.)

As for us? Well, I guess we'll do as others do. We'll tighten our belts, cut down on spending (which further harms the economy), and do the best that we can while my wife searches for another job. We'll focus on our spiritual lives and trust in God to get us through. And every now and then, we'll see a child and wonder what kind of education he or she can expect with the idiots in charge of things. And we'll worry about them.

A Treasure Hunt

It's been a couple of months now, and my search continues. Yes, I'm talking about my search for my ancestry. Using a website called Ancestry.com, I have put together the beginnings of a family tree for one side of my biological family.

It's been a hunt for my identity in many ways. As I was growing up, I was told I was adopted. But I was also told that I was of this heritage and that heritage, but nothing was definite. So, what have I discovered? Congratulate me. I'm a mutt. Seriously. I have traced the one side of the tree from Utah to Canada to New Jersey to England, to Ireland, and to Scotland. I have discovered Pringles, Durwards, and Garrigans. But when it comes down to it, what have I discovered about myself? I mean, besides being a mutt.

I have discovered that as I look at the different names and places, I get a feeling for certain sections of the tree. I am particularly drawn to Scotland and Ireland. I don't know why. Perhaps it is a calling that God has put inside us to find out where we are from. Anyone who takes a look at the Hebrew Scriptures knows how important genealogy was in the Bible. But I think that certain traits and characteristics, certain likes and dislikes, certain desires and longings have always drawn me to those two lands. I look at the other places, including one line that goes through France, and don't feel the call as strongly.

I can't say that it has been worth the time, money, and effort that it has taken to find out these things. But then again...