Say their names....

When I got to my hotel in Salt Lake City Utah, my room wasn't ready and I had to wait over an hour for it to be prepared, the good thing though they promised me an upgrade, and I ended up with a very nice suite. While sitting in the lobby I looked at t.v. the news was on and the newscaster was talking about a massacre that had occurred the day prior in a Charleston Church.

1)Susie Jackson 87; 2)Myra Thompson, 59, 3)Depayne Middleton Doctor 49; 4)Ethel Lance70;
5)Rev.Daniel Simmons Sr 6)Sharonda Coleman 7)Tywanza Sanders 8)Cynthia Hurd 9)Rev Clementa Pinckney 41 State Senator

Police had apprehended the suspect who at first glance resembled a dark stoic twelve year old kid to me, as my mother would say, still wet behind the ears. I intentionally leave his name out of this blog post because their will be enough said about him. The nine people whose lives he ended though, with their bright smiling faces shining into the camera, precious lives stilled much too soon, had presence, character and light, reminding me just how short our walk really is, but just like Psalm 112:6 "Surely the righteous will never be shaken, they will be remembered forever." My heart goes out to their families.

This tragedy just let me know I can't continue to just walk through this world and act like I'm oblivious to the horrors within it. It made me think about how quickly I could become one of the ancestors in which I search.

My whole focus for this trip to Salt Lake City was to visit the Family History Library and find some of the information that I had created a list for namely:

1. Marriage licenses for my great grandparents.
2. Death Certificate for my great grandfather Peter Bass from Warren Arkansas.
3. Property information for my great great grandfather Andrew Tidwell.
4. Wills and Probate Records of the plantation owners from South Carolina.
5. Any relevant information that would help my research.

I kept checking and re-checking that list because I would only have one week to find what I was looking for. As I sat there the receptionist called me over and told me my room was finally ready.


The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot Proverbs 10:7