An Honor To Be Indexed

I have recently been inspired to return to my ongoing, lifelong endeavor to index every ancestor. It is the baton that I inherited from my grandmother, the family historian; along with her extensive 30 year collection of verified documents, photographs, and personal journals. 

so blessed to have my grandmother's files

It doesn't really matter what I'm specifically looking for; when I dive into those deep plastic tubs, I never really know what I'm going to come out with.

For instance, this evening, I was hunting for photographs of Alice Mae Hutchins, my grandmother's aunt, perpetually referred to as Aunt Lallie. While thumbing through the old 1970's dilapidated photo albums, I came upon something so unexpected, so heart warming, so honorable.

A drawing I made for my Grandmother in 1976

My grandmother had delicately preserved this ink drawing that I made for her in 1976. It is a flowerpot sprouting four daisies. I had divided the inside of the pot into dotted lines, to simulate my second grade handwriting practice paper. Within those lines I had written:

"I love you.

You are something good.

It is good to be with you.

Sine, Stacey"

It was drawn on a piece of paper with the letterhead of the hospital where she had spent the better part of her career. She often kept stacks of such paper, on her desk, in her home office.

But the part that really struck me was that my grandmother had labeled the drawing with pertinent genealogical information, so as to be recognized by my own descendants. She wrote:

"Letter from Stacy Chaney,

daughter of James Chaney,

to her grandmother,

Nellie O. Chaney,

at the age of 7."

She indexed me.

I feel so loved.

I got a Heart Hug