Serendipity
Luck in A Field of Names
by Bonnie J. Speeg
My e-mail address is mtrian@one.net
and I live in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Today was one more beautiful autumn day here in the mid-west. I decided
to drive north to Lewisburg, Ohio. My maternal ancestors are from that
area. Many were dunkards, and Church of the Brethren followers.
I had decided to search cemeteries on this day. This is not a recommended method for systematically finding your family tree. Not enough time and years in one life to successfully apply this method!
I had stopped at two interesting [and unfruitful] ones before I came to the last one I could for the day, due to dusk setting in... this particular cemetery had perhaps two thousand or so headstones.
I almost drove away, the light was fading very quickly. But an odd-shaped headstone caught my eye on the way in... so I drove toward it. I wanted to check it out. As I got out of my car I heard a cawing sound.
I looked around, then up. Overhead were two chevron's of Canada Geese, flying so low I could hear their wings flapping in motion. I paused to watch them pass over the cemetery. They were exquisite.
When they were out of sight I came "back to earth" to take a look at that curious headstone... but as I walked around the rear of my car to cross the footpath I spotted my family's name on a stone! I bent down and right there, without even looking, and out of all the places I could have stopped, was my great-great grandmother's grave!!!
Anyone who has walked through a "field of names" as in a cemetery, can imagine my amazement and sheer joy. She was all by herself, odd that no other family are nearby. But never the less she is there, and I made a lovely charcoal rubbing as a remembrance of such a splendid day.
As well, finding this Serendipity Site was by accident.
Submitted: Sun Oct 19 01:19:57 1997
