Living throughout time
What would they think? I stepped back in time on Friday, June 23, 2023. Not literally, of course, but for me, it was a highly emotional moment in which I connected with family from generations ago. My wife Amy and I visited the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in the village of Ballymore, County Westmeath, Ireland. My great-great grandparents, John and Mary McDermott, were married in that church in 1854, when the building was nine years old. And my great grandmother, Catherine (Kate) Mary McDermott Gray, was baptized here in 1868. Her siblings were baptized here, too. As I stood in the front of the church, tears of joy trickled down my cheeks. I felt somewhat embarrassed: I turned as if to hide the tears from Amy, but I was certain she knew of the powerful feelings I felt. After all, I was standing in the spot where my ancestors had stood, where they taken part in heart-felt ceremonies that were so important to them. It's clear I would not be alive if not for many of them. So