Family

 I am so grateful for family.  My husband first.  And my children and grandchildren.  I love my dad.  We spent a while last night identifying family members in a photo.  That brought me closer to his extended family.  We all have lives and personalities and it is interesting how those go on and those after us may never know the things we went through but we will benefit or struggle because of what our progenitors went through.  I think we owe it to them to get to know them as best we can.  In gratitude and forgiveness we can grow closer to them.

Alice Naomi Dowden Young's birthday celebration in November of 1944.  She is my great grandmother on my dad's father's side.

There are a few men missing as this is during WWII.  My dad is 17, and he actually left to serve in the Navy several months after this photo.  Joyce Orlob Evans was married the same month as this photo, and she has on her wedding ring, they were married while he was on leave.  Also, Lois Oldham Young's husband Seth was serving.  There may be others.