Barrack Obama Confirmed Me as a Cousin on Facebook

On April 1 of this year I received the message from We’re Related on Facebook that I am indeed the forth cousin once removed of Barrack Hussein Obama. True, it could have been an April Fool’s joke, but what if I am related to the President in some far off distant place in time?

I’m not sure why but lately I have been thinking a lot about my roots and where I come from. After spending another week at the church camp I grew up going to as a kid the nostalgia is cascading and I’ve been more grateful than ever for the people and places in my life.

I had the opportunity to thank the originator, Bill Redmon. This was the man responsible for continually improving and building the camp that is now over 60 years old. I ate lunch with a woman who was married to the man that started the church where my husband is preaching over 50 years ago. What a legacy these people have created with their lives. History oozes from the pores of my very existence.

After moving into our new home we realized that we had to remove a large, diseased oak tree in our front yard. I pulled up one day to find the tree guy tumbling off our roof with a chainsaw in one hand and a large tree limb in the other. He survived the spill but walked away with a few pangs. Watching him try to find and grind all the roots was engaging. It made me contemplate the lifespan of a tree and how difficult it is to uproot something that has been living in the same environment for so long.

Colossians 2:7 in the Bible reads, “Let your roots grow down into him (Jesus), and let your lives be built on him (Jesus). Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” 2 Timothy 3:14-15 reads, “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.” This I know to be true.

The family that I was born into has many stories waiting to be unveiled. In my next column I will write excerpts from my Great, Great, Great, Grandma’s 1866-1905 journals. Until then, I need my friend from Derby, Nelda Branstetter to research my genealogy so that I can confirm my Presidential lineage.

Word of the Week: Each week I add a word that I have come across in my reading for which I did not know the definition. After looking it up I try to use it in my future columns. Last week’s word was torrid, meaning very hot; scorching.”