Climbing my own Jones surname family tree, it would often come to mind what it took to survive through all the generations. At times, it was certainly more difficult when things joined together leading to questions about how my Y-DNA was going to make it? This was certainly true during the 400 years of Roman military occupation that my Celtic ancestors kept that DNA flowing down the branches.
Remembering a friend that I played softball during my younger years (now more than half a century ago) a thought came to mind. It was called slow pitch, and our Church league usually did pretty well. A good pitcher he was, and could get the ball over the plate a variety of ways. Usually playing shortstop, we would carry on during a game. The amazing thing was that this fellow only had one arm. It didn't seem to bother him catching, throwing, battling, and all the things that I took for granted. Never really asking how he lost his right arm just below the elbow, he would often tell me, "go along to get along". This 400 hundred year period my Celtic ancestors shared the game of life with thousands of military players, they would have certainly had to agree with my friend.
Our old friend Tacitus of posts May 13th and 14th wrote of those on the Island:
"Nature has willed that every man's children and kindred should be his dearest objects. Yet these are torn from us by conscriptions to be slaves elsewhere. Our wives and our sisters, even though they may escape violation from the enemy, are dishonored under the names of friendship and hospitality. Our goods and fortunes they collect for their tribute, our harvests for their granaries. Our very hands and bodies, under lash and in the minds of insult, are worn down by the toil of clearing forest and morasses. Creatures born to slavery are sold once for all, and are, moreover, fed by their masters, but Britain is daily purchasing, is daily feeding, her own enslaved people."
How would you get along?
No comments:
Post a Comment