To move freely you must be deeply rooted.

When I was younger I would listen intently when relatives would tell stories of our family from yesteryear and “the old country”.   These tales are family heirlooms held close to my heart and I try to share them with nieces and nephews to assure their life will carry on.  This past weekend, in an impromptu set of circumstances, I now have my own tale to contribute to our lineage as two families separated by a century and ocean were reunited.  

Earlier this year my father was contacted by a distant relative living in Atlanta, researching his ancestry.  A newspaper article had been written about a recent performance my father had given and through an online search he was found.  It turns out the connection was not too far off since my father had fond memories of his grandparents.  A special bond immediately forged and they were off sharing stories.  

When it was shared that I would be traveling to the UK he produced a list of names and addresses of relatives in the UK  his parents had kept in touch with through the generations.  I considered my travel route and selected the family living closes to my great grandfather’s birthplace, Hereford, to contact.   I imagined a polite, quick conversation and maybe a quick greeting followed by a swift nod farewell.  I could not have been farther off the mark.  

Arriving in a small village just outside Stradford-on-Avon, I was greeted by a gracious loving couple who opened their home and hospitality to a perfect stranger that happened to share their name.  The love and kindness so generously given was humbling and definitely a precious moment that will be forevermore cherished.   

My great grandfather and his grandfather were brothers.  Just prior to the turn of the century my great grandfather and several other brothers immigrated to the United States eventually setting roots in Cleveland, Ohio.  None of the brothers ever returned to the UK.   Being the eldest son of the family in the UK he was given the family bible and a generous series of correspondence passed down over the years.  To see the carefully hand scribed birth of brothers together in a bible and to be handed photographs from a stranger that includes both my great grandfather & grandmother, grandfather as a boy (approx. 1912-14) and aunts is an exhilarating experience.   

In the time spent with them we not only shared our family tie, but I experienced their garden allotment and was beautifully guided on a tour deeply rooted in Elizabethan and Shakespearean history.

I can confidently say I come from the salt of the earth, deeply rooted in love and kindness.