Thursday, June 22, 2006

The Weekend Coming Up

Tomorrow we will be driving to Franklin, North Carolina, where we will spend the night and on Saturday attend a Ray descendants family reunion, which I think will only be attended by family researchers and their spouses.

One of the organizers, D invited me by email. I have been swapping information with D for several months now. I, in turn, forwarded her email to two other Ray researchers – as the cyber invitation suggested, to please inform other Ray researchers.

One of the two, L, that I forwarded it to immediately shot back wondering why she wasn’t invited directly because it was well known she was a family researcher and she knows all four of the organizers and they know her. Heck, I don’t know why.

Yesterday L sent me another email telling me to be aware of D. She said L was a taker, not a giver. She said D would get information from you and not give you information back.

Well, I suppose when I started researching I was more of a taker than a giver. I had nothing to give. Now, as time has moved on and the more I accumulated I became a giver, giving more than I take. That is just the mathematics and the Golden Rule of it.

I have been very lucky running into the right people at the right time willing to share their information.

I have done some dusty deed book research in old courthouse records rooms, but in most parts, why go to all that trouble when someone else has already did the hands-on research and is willing to share?

Is it the hunt you enjoy or the results?

What I am saying, I think it is Okay to be the giver and okay to be taker. It reminds me of one time I had car trouble – and honestly, it has been at least 20 years ago, I forgot if it was a flat tire or a dead battery, but which ever, a young man showed up, solved my problem, it was a flat he changed my tire and if it the battery he boosted me off – when I thanked him for the favor he told me “to pass it on”. Which I try to do.

Also on our trip, Friday evening we have plans on meeting fellow bloggers Steve and Bird – which will make the trip an enjoyable trip as well.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are excited about it! See you very soon, bud.

Eddie said...

We are too.
So many little details to work out. I put your cell phones numbers on my cell phone this morning.
Oh, did you know the bed & breakfast we are staying at is said to be haunted?

Unknown said...

Can't wait! Ed, the house we lived in when we used to live in Franklin is haunted. We'll show it to you and I'll tell you about the ghost that both I and my son saw!

Eddie said...

Bird,
That will be interesting. I told you about the tombstone of my g-g-g-g grandfather's tombstone at the First Methodist Church in Franklin haven't I?
Somehow Anna and I gravitate to reportedly haunted places.

Unknown said...

Steve doesn't believe in it... He never saw what we saw, or he would!

Anonymous said...

Tomorrow night i promise to tell yall about My dad's smahed coo-coo clock after his death. There's a genuine ghost story for you.

Eddie said...

OOoooooOOOOoooo