Things I learned from my ancestors
Since this past weekend was 4th of July, which has traditionally been one of the great gathering times of the Archambault Clan, I figured I would muse for a bit on family and things potentially lost over the years.
Someone and I (dad, I think) were talking about the potential for old family things (especially sayings from the family) to be lost over the years. That's untrue. It's not the sayings that we fear will be lost, but the story behind the sayings. So, in the spirit of my niece's first family gathering at Chambeauwood (if you don't know, just ask and I'll explain), here are a few that shouldn't get lost over the years:
1) Don't get arrested.
2) Don't get in bar fights.
For both me and Denise, these were the rules my dad gave us before going out. There were also the occasional things about not using "that tone" with my mother, and locking up when we came in, but when it came down to it, these were the two that mattered. Having these rules in hand ahead of time is a good thing. I can always fall back on "my dad told me so."
Good to have you aboard
My Pop-pop's favorite saying. This was his way of greeting everyone as they came into anywhere that he already was. The proper response is "Good to be aboard."
It's the best that I can do.
Comes from my great grandfather on my dad's mother's side. "Mr. Hanlon" as he was called by everyone, including his wife. This came out of his attempts to get a Christmas tree to stand up straight. His frustration led him to eventually nail it to the floor, through my great-grandmother's brand new oriental rug, for which she had scrimped and saved for years.
I also know that "It's nice to be nice" and "be true to your teeth or they'll be false to you." I think these both came from Pop-pop's father. Sadly, though, I can't remember for sure, or remember all the others right now.
Some day, when Bella is old enough, we will teach her all of these things. Hopefully, we will remember enough so that generations from now, our childrens childrens children will still know better than to get arrested or get in bar fights.
Someone and I (dad, I think) were talking about the potential for old family things (especially sayings from the family) to be lost over the years. That's untrue. It's not the sayings that we fear will be lost, but the story behind the sayings. So, in the spirit of my niece's first family gathering at Chambeauwood (if you don't know, just ask and I'll explain), here are a few that shouldn't get lost over the years:
1) Don't get arrested.
2) Don't get in bar fights.
For both me and Denise, these were the rules my dad gave us before going out. There were also the occasional things about not using "that tone" with my mother, and locking up when we came in, but when it came down to it, these were the two that mattered. Having these rules in hand ahead of time is a good thing. I can always fall back on "my dad told me so."
Good to have you aboard
My Pop-pop's favorite saying. This was his way of greeting everyone as they came into anywhere that he already was. The proper response is "Good to be aboard."
It's the best that I can do.
Comes from my great grandfather on my dad's mother's side. "Mr. Hanlon" as he was called by everyone, including his wife. This came out of his attempts to get a Christmas tree to stand up straight. His frustration led him to eventually nail it to the floor, through my great-grandmother's brand new oriental rug, for which she had scrimped and saved for years.
I also know that "It's nice to be nice" and "be true to your teeth or they'll be false to you." I think these both came from Pop-pop's father. Sadly, though, I can't remember for sure, or remember all the others right now.
Some day, when Bella is old enough, we will teach her all of these things. Hopefully, we will remember enough so that generations from now, our childrens childrens children will still know better than to get arrested or get in bar fights.
