Late September is always a time for reflection for me. If my mother were alive, we would celebrate her 100th birthday on Sunday. Ironically, this weekend is also the 35th “anniversary” of my father’s death.

It was not until Daddy’s death that I really gained an appreciation for my family’s history. Genealogy has become an on-again, off-again lifelong hobby. It is rewarding and frustrating. It is never finished, so it is an interest one can enjoy at any age.

As I remember my wonderful parents this weekend, I will again realize how fortunate I was to have them. They shaped my life and my thinking in so many ways and gave me a happy and secure childhood. It is only with age that I have become aware that many children do not have that kind of experience.

I am truly blessed!