Can I do it? Can I surrender my love of family history for insipid tasks under the umbrella of “downsizing”? I believe documenting my family—and collateral lines—is a worthwhile contribution to society. However, “with one foot in the grave,” I know I must NOT leave my “boxes of memorabilia” for someone to handle. To paraphrase an old saying “One man’s treasure is another man’s trash.”

I remember it vividly!! However, the moment I awakened, I forgot the surname. The father was “James Henry” and there were several children including a daughter named Magdalena. Day and night, my mind is thinking genealogy. Popped out of bed at 5:00 AM and sat down at my computer moments later. In my Ancestry.com database, I have eleven men named “James Henry.” Only one resembles the dream (lots of children) and one daughter is named Maranda.

P.S. 6:00 AM: Furthermore, overnight an obituary arrived in my email, and (obviously), I had to document that information. Much more to add… but the quick relationship is “husband of fourth cousin.”

Such a cute picture, I couldn’t resist the inclination to share it. ~~~~~~ Here are two narratives: (1) All Hallow’s Eve, and (2) very interesting information regarding this time of year on the Church calendar.

Obsessive-compulsive?? It isn’t enough that I document them, I’m interested in family DNA. (All the cousin marriages.) These images follow my search for information and one (of several) interesting articles.

Received in my email:

Hello and welcome back to Declutter Fast

We’ve all heard about the famous ship, the Titanic.

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The tragedy of the Titanic could have been avoided if the captain had taken prudent action on the numerous dire warnings he received.

Start today to get control of that clutter… because just a few minutes a day really goes a long way.

As long as you keep working toward the goal of decluttering, you WILL get there – it’s a “mathematical certainty.”

You can be totally decluttered in a super short time – and gain peace of mind and happiness!

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Here’s to the joy of order in your life.

With love,
Mimi Tanner
Author of Declutter Fast: How To Get Your Home In Order Almost Immediately

;

Mimi knows how to get my attention.

(But I’d rather climb the family tree.)

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Postscript @ 2:00 PM: No “downsizing”  but  I spent some time on superfluous projects. I enjoyed some fresh air and sunshine and removed “pop-tops” from aluminum cans. ~~ I “recycle”  things: Items go to a Thrift Shop or Habitat for Humanity. Question: Why would someone throw away an attractive Hummingbird feeder?

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In the local news, stories about Kristin Bell establishing a business in Waco. Read about it here. They join Chip and Joanna Gains prolific image in the community.

Lorraine starts her day with Dr. David Jeremiah. This morning the message was about Jerusalem. I encourage you to click the link and watch the program.

An hour later, I watch Dr. Robert Jeffress and his current series is about The Solomon Secrets.

…regarding the kidnapped missionaries. The following was copied from an Internet website.

HOLMES COUNTY, Ohio — A group of 17 U.S. missionaries including children has been kidnapped by a gang in Haiti during their mission trip. The missionaries were in Haiti working with Christian Aid Ministries, an organization based out of Holmes County, Ohio.

The group is made up of 16 Americans, 1 Canadian and among them are 5 children, one of the kids is just 2-years-old.

Haitian police said the 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the group in Ganthier, a community that lies east of the capital of Port-au-Prince, Saturday on their way back from building an orphanage.

According to the Associated Press, Christian Aid Ministries’ leaders sent out a voice message to other religious missionaries to alert others of the kidnapping. The voice message asked for prayers that the gang members would come to repentance.

The mission’s field director is now working with the U.S. Embassy. The director’s family and another individual with the group were staying at the ministry’s base when the kidnapping occurred.

It is unclear if the gang has demanded ransom.

Christian Aid Ministries website said among other services, it offers bible classes, feeds the needy and helps orphans in Haiti and other countries throughout the world.

Bishop Gerard Mirbel has been glued to his television screen since he heard the news about the kidnapping.

“They were there to help people,” he said.

Mirbel moved to Painesville from Haiti when he was 31-years-old. Since then, he has dedicated his life’s work to leading mission trips back to his home country and helping the people of Haiti whenever he can.

“We had a school, we have an orphanage, we feed the population,” he said.

Mirbel said while the majority of Haitians are good, hard-working people, the political unrest and devastation from natural disasters have plagued the country with poverty and an uptick in gang violence.

“It’s been tough for Haiti,” he said. “Things will not last like this forever.”

“It’s important to have security,” he said. “I help a lot of people by telling them how to protect themselves. I had a chance to be a director of many missions, and there was no kidnapping, there was no gang violence.”

Christian Aid Ministries put out a statement on its website.

“We request urgent prayer for the group of Christian Aid Ministries workers who were abducted while on a trip to visit an orphanage on Saturday, October 16. We are seeking God’s direction for a resolution, and authorities are seeking ways to help.

The group of sixteen U.S citizens and one Canadian citizen includes five men, seven women, and five children. Join us in praying for those who are being held hostage, the kidnappers, and the families, friends, and churches of those affected. Pray for those who are seeking God’s direction and making decisions regarding this matter.

As an organization, we commit this situation to God and trust Him to see us through. May the Lord Jesus be magnified and many more people come to know His love and salvation.

Mirbel is praying for the safe return of the missionaries, and that fear doesn’t stop others from helping out his homeland.

“They need help,” he said.

Ohio lawmakers are also offering their support to the organization and those affected by the kidnapping.

The office of Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) shared the following statement with News 5:

“We have reached out to Christian Aid Ministries to offer any assistance we can provide. We are not commenting on details for the time being. We are ready to work with the appropriate agencies as needed for a peaceful resolution. We urge the Biden administration to ensure the safety of Americans abroad. Congressman Gibbs is praying for everyone’s safe release.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) also shared a statement.

“Our office is very concerned but this news and has reached out to the White House, State Department, and Department of Justice for more information.”

Where is the news media?

For several days, I haven’t heard a single report—by the media—about the missionaries kidnapped in Haiti. I did a Google search and found this article from two days ago. I don’t trust Biden to do anything. He abandoned our people in Afghanistan, he ignores the crisis on the Southern border. ~~ I wish I could “do something.”; I feel so helpless!!

Morning mystery. I “know” why it happened but I don’t “know” how to correct it. Obviously, operating the space heater (on the same circuit) triggered the UPS to shut down. I “unplugged,” and “plugged”; I read the instructions. It has been one hour since I took the last picture and I’m forced to listen to the “beep, beep, beep.”

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I never expected the recent purchase of the Backup UPS to complicate my morning (my day). I’m considering moving UPS to the bedroom so I don’t have to listen to the very annoying “beep, beep, beep.” ~~~ (Yes, the pictures are “dark” but viewable if you click on each picture to enlarge it.)

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“If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.”