I’m Lucky To Be Here
In fact, I’m lucky to be anywhere
In fact, I’m lucky to be anywhere
Getting here wasn’t easy.
In fact it was a little tougher than even I had realised, as I started on my journey compiling my family history tree.
Yes, I know that for all of us to be here now, trillions of drifting atoms have somehow had to assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner to create each and every one of us.
However, the bad news is that atoms are fickle, their time of devotion is fleeting and in a very short time (by atomic scales) they lose interest, disassemble and go their own way to be other things.
Knowing all this, I feel particularly well done by when I look at my own little packet of genetic juice that has survived down the generations.
Here is a story of serendipity and fortuitous events that have resulted in me being here to record the events!
My 3 x great grandfather, who lived in Ireland, married circa 1785 and had 3 sons, one of whom died in infancy, one who married but had no issue, and the 3rd (my 2 x Gr. Grandfather) survived as the lone carrier of my genetic material.
William, for that was he, emigrated to Scotland around 1846 during the Great Potato Famine in Ireland, and settled near Glasgow. He married, and had 3 sons. So far, so good.
Of William’s 3 sons, sadly one died aged 6 years of tuberculosis, another was killed aged 17 in a drowning accident, leaving again the only male survivor, John (my great grandfather) to carry the line forward.
John firstly had an illegitimate son (also John), who unfortunately died while still a child. However my GGF married and produced 2 sons who survived childhood unscathed.
However, at the age of 16, one son was killed by an assailant who was never caught, so again leaving one lone male, Donald (my Grandfather), to pass on the baton
Things were looking up when Donald married and had 6 children, including 4 sons, one of whom was my father, William. The odds were looking good when my parents married and settled down to produce some heirs.
Having been married some 3 months, my father, William, a coal miner, was involved in a mining accident where many were killed, and he himself was trapped for 12 hours underground. He suffered multiple injuries, the most serious was a broken spine, resulting in him being hospitalised for almost a year.
The prognosis was that he would not be able to have a family of his own, and would be confined to a wheelchair. Neither of these things happened. By the following year, he was walking around, had found employment again, and eventually produced 5 daughters and 5 sons, the last being myself.
At last the trend had changed, and between them, these 10 children of my parents have produced 30 children, now with numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
The future is now rosy, and our genetic line is secure.