Roots 101 - An introduction to my ancestry
Where did I come from?
I was conceived in October - No surprise there - Both my mother and my father's birthdays are in October, so it's a crap shoot who's birthday it was when I was conceived. Both are Libras. They bore a Gemini.
I was born in NY, both my parents were from Queens. My Dad was first generation in this country, his family having emigrated from Germany. My Mom's family had been around for some time already and were from all over Europe - largely, Germany and Scotland with a little Ireland, Belgium, Hungarian and French mixed in for fun.
Both parents were / are teachers. Both Musicians, they met during their undergrad when my mom was assigned to my dad as his accompanist. They fell in love and got married.
My mom had me at the ripe old age of 26 - fairly unheard of at the time - she was a little late in starting a family.
My brother came along almost 4 years later - another libra - score a point for them. That's all right - as a Gemini - there's two of me so I get to keep myself company.
My parents were both raised in protestant households. My maternal grandfather, being a lapsed Catholic, told my Grandmother she could take the girls to any church within walking distance except the Catholic Church. So Lutheran it was! My dad's family were also a Lutheran-esque faith. But growing up, we went to a Methodist church.
Both of my parents were also Church musicians. I think that I get a lot of that from both of them - probably more from my dad as he consistently made that a career. It's a value I hold near to me because I am also a musician and a director of the choir in my church.
By the time I was 7, my parents had divorced. My father moved to a bungalow the beach and my mom moved to a condo in town. We saw my dad every other weekend, specific holidays and for a month in the summer.
Eventually, my stepdad moved in with us and we had regular visits with his children as well. Their visitation schedule was created so that we could all be together on those weekends.
My dad eventually moved into an apartment in the western part of the town where he taught. Ironically, I currently live only one block from that apartment.
Ultimately both parents remarried the year I turned 12. I was the maid of honor for my mother's December wedding and I was a Jr Bridesmaid in my dad's July wedding.
I learned a lot about marriage from both couples and the couple that my parents were. My mom just lost my step dad this past year. Both my dad and step mom have been gone awhile. My mom always referred to my step dad as her prince charming. They traveled the world together. They raised this crazy hybrid family as one/ We took vacations together, we lived in amazing places. Always near the water or on the beach. My mom always said that my step dad was her best friend. She wouldn't trade that life.
My dad and my step mom were both teachers in neighboring districts. My step mom was a fierce defender of the those she loved. Their relationship was very different, but the love was at the heart of it. They came from similar backgrounds, they had similar interests, traveled the world, performed in together in choral groups, she sang in my dad's church choir, he was her "first gent" when she became Lt. Governor for the Kiwanis District. I learned a lot about accountability and honoring commitments from them.
Now this is not to say that either couple was lacking in the other's lessons I learned, those lessons were just lifted up to me in a different way.
Birthdays felt like a bigger deal to my dad because he made it a point to take us out on the actual day of our birth. I always felt that was kind of funny because they asked him to be in the room when I was born, and he always said that his answer was "It would have to be a really big room, preferably with a bar at one end". Rumor has it they had to wake him up in the middle of the night when I was born. In his defense, they were only just starting to have dad's be in the room with the mom. My mom was also knocked out for my delivery.
I have one parent still with me today. Dad and Jen have since passed on, and I miss them both. I know they danced at my wedding and We took pictures in the church in the Columbarium where their ashes ( and that of the dog and cat) are interred.
I was lucky that my step dad, Rob, was able to walk me down the aisle at my wedding and dance with me during the father / daughter dance.
All in all - my parents did the best job with the tools that they had. We all had food, shelter, clothes, love. And I was lucky enough to have four good parents. Some don't even get 1 or 2.
There's really way too much on this subject for one post - so we'll save more for later.
I was conceived in October - No surprise there - Both my mother and my father's birthdays are in October, so it's a crap shoot who's birthday it was when I was conceived. Both are Libras. They bore a Gemini.
I was born in NY, both my parents were from Queens. My Dad was first generation in this country, his family having emigrated from Germany. My Mom's family had been around for some time already and were from all over Europe - largely, Germany and Scotland with a little Ireland, Belgium, Hungarian and French mixed in for fun.
Both parents were / are teachers. Both Musicians, they met during their undergrad when my mom was assigned to my dad as his accompanist. They fell in love and got married.
My mom had me at the ripe old age of 26 - fairly unheard of at the time - she was a little late in starting a family.
My brother came along almost 4 years later - another libra - score a point for them. That's all right - as a Gemini - there's two of me so I get to keep myself company.
My parents were both raised in protestant households. My maternal grandfather, being a lapsed Catholic, told my Grandmother she could take the girls to any church within walking distance except the Catholic Church. So Lutheran it was! My dad's family were also a Lutheran-esque faith. But growing up, we went to a Methodist church.
Both of my parents were also Church musicians. I think that I get a lot of that from both of them - probably more from my dad as he consistently made that a career. It's a value I hold near to me because I am also a musician and a director of the choir in my church.
By the time I was 7, my parents had divorced. My father moved to a bungalow the beach and my mom moved to a condo in town. We saw my dad every other weekend, specific holidays and for a month in the summer.
Eventually, my stepdad moved in with us and we had regular visits with his children as well. Their visitation schedule was created so that we could all be together on those weekends.
My dad eventually moved into an apartment in the western part of the town where he taught. Ironically, I currently live only one block from that apartment.
Ultimately both parents remarried the year I turned 12. I was the maid of honor for my mother's December wedding and I was a Jr Bridesmaid in my dad's July wedding.
I learned a lot about marriage from both couples and the couple that my parents were. My mom just lost my step dad this past year. Both my dad and step mom have been gone awhile. My mom always referred to my step dad as her prince charming. They traveled the world together. They raised this crazy hybrid family as one/ We took vacations together, we lived in amazing places. Always near the water or on the beach. My mom always said that my step dad was her best friend. She wouldn't trade that life.
My dad and my step mom were both teachers in neighboring districts. My step mom was a fierce defender of the those she loved. Their relationship was very different, but the love was at the heart of it. They came from similar backgrounds, they had similar interests, traveled the world, performed in together in choral groups, she sang in my dad's church choir, he was her "first gent" when she became Lt. Governor for the Kiwanis District. I learned a lot about accountability and honoring commitments from them.
Now this is not to say that either couple was lacking in the other's lessons I learned, those lessons were just lifted up to me in a different way.
Birthdays felt like a bigger deal to my dad because he made it a point to take us out on the actual day of our birth. I always felt that was kind of funny because they asked him to be in the room when I was born, and he always said that his answer was "It would have to be a really big room, preferably with a bar at one end". Rumor has it they had to wake him up in the middle of the night when I was born. In his defense, they were only just starting to have dad's be in the room with the mom. My mom was also knocked out for my delivery.
I have one parent still with me today. Dad and Jen have since passed on, and I miss them both. I know they danced at my wedding and We took pictures in the church in the Columbarium where their ashes ( and that of the dog and cat) are interred.
I was lucky that my step dad, Rob, was able to walk me down the aisle at my wedding and dance with me during the father / daughter dance.
All in all - my parents did the best job with the tools that they had. We all had food, shelter, clothes, love. And I was lucky enough to have four good parents. Some don't even get 1 or 2.
There's really way too much on this subject for one post - so we'll save more for later.
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