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 I stood there sniffing from my tears, and I had to wonder: What would they think if they knew I'd come from across the ocean to honor them in this wonderful edifice?

What would they think?

Fast forward a few weeks to July 23. On a hot night in our home in Florida, I drifted off to sleep, or at least, a very shallow slumber, as Amy was ready to join me in bed. Oh, with our puppy ready, of course.

What's next is a summary of my dream – or was it just a vision? I can't be sure. Is there a difference? 

Please come along and explore these questions: What would our ancestors think? What would their ancestors think? Perhaps they'd be pleased.

* * * * *

Not far in the future:

Abundant sunshine illuminated the countryside on this early February day in Western Pennsylvania. It was not long after sunrise, but the temperature already was approaching 80, surely to climb much higher in the afternoon. The world was much warmer than earlier times.

In an area in which snow once ruled the winter, where wildflowers had grown abundantly and trees flourished later into the season, the landscape was parched and brown barely two months into the year 2088. Indeed, the climate was different in the not-too-distant past.

Only a few very old houses remained where a thriving neighborhood once stood. Still, the young man, a stranger to these parts, somehow felt drawn to this area. There was a feeling deep in his soul, emotions he could not explain, that brought him here from his job and home in Australia.

The curious gentleman stood about 6 feet 2 with an athletic build. He had shoulder-length dark brown hair and a nicely trimmed beard. His inquisitive eyes surveyed the landscape, and his mind wandered from the present-day late 21st century to the middle of the 20th century, a time when his ancestors walked and loved this land.

His name was Thomas, born near Pittsburgh in 2053. His mother, also from Pittsburgh, was born in 2028. Thomas came from a family of storytellers. He smiled as he recalled vividly the tales from Grandma Layla – even the accounts of his great grandmother Allison and great aunt Jessica – of his family who lived in this area once called Ellwood City.

Increasing sunshine was becoming intolerable, so Thomas sought the shade of a nearby solitary tree to help stay cool as he looked around, considering his past.

He recalled stories about a great-great grandfather who, as a youngster, was widely known as the boy who loved to climb trees. And, at night, the boy stared deeply into the cosmos when the stars still were visible from Earth.

Thomas' great-great-great grandmother was an artist and singer, and his great-great-great grandfather had been a steelworker with skills that helped him fix nearly anything.

For a brief moment, Thomas grinned. Nearly chuckled. He thought of the little boy climbing trees and looking at the stars. And he remembered with a hint of glee that he had been named in honor of an ancestor who married a girl named Kate from Ireland.

And while he stood alone in the growing heat of the daytime, and with a light wind in his face, Thomas didn't try to hide the tears of joy elicited by the thoughts of those who walked here before him. His heart, through the channels of time, embraced them, and his thoughts never would allow them truly to die.

Certainly, they would be elated that he was here.