So many have gone before
Some just stories of struggle and success
The genetic fiber weaves itself
into the person I am becoming
Life leads me in busyness
to neglect their breath of life
now dead. A puff away from
my own existence, and yet I forget.
Remember, I must, these people
of old. I share their spirit
within my soul. The wind of
history can steer the course
and I, I may not know.
– MPS
Judy was on a journey to discover her past, her heritage. Her mother died when she was very young. Because of her father’s deep grief, her mother was not talked about much if ever after her funeral. In her memoir, Judy shares a story of the day of her mother’s funeral. The large black car slowly drove up to the front of their house. Her father and grandparents walked down the steps, got into the car and were driven away. Judy was left on the porch not knowing where they were going or where her mother had gone. This image inspired Judy to dig deeply into her family history. Being an only child, and having no close family, she did not know where to start. Finding a box of old family photos, Judy began trying to piece together her family history. She found one or two pictures of her mother. There were other family pictures, but most had no labels to identify the people. Judy was frustrated by the lack of information but was determined to find life in her heritage.
Visiting Pemaquid Point, Maine several years ago, Judy came upon a memorial rock. It was a memorial to the Blaisdell Family. Judy was thrilled. Being a Blaisdell, she finally had a sense of her roots.
Judy’s stories of memoir are funny, touching and sad. She was always searching to hear the voices of the past. She did not have time to solve the mystery of all the people in the old family photos, but she left us with a sense of peace. She must be celebrating with the mom she lost all too early for both.
