Hello from the Peace River country in British Columbia, Canada
Now is spectacular beauty where we live – much moisture has given us lush green everywhere we look interspersed with patches of sickly yellowish green which will shortly be showing brilliant yellow as the canola crop matures. A sweet, almost overwhelming aroma, drifts to our nostrils. Eventually the blossoms will fade and farmers – (all things remaining equal) – will harvest a bumper crop of seed to be pressed into canola oil.
Are you like me, finally emptied my luggage, shook the Oregon beach sand into our garden, suitcase is back in the attic awaiting another trip – (maybe the J.Oswald reunion next year in Nebraska), reliving the memories of the 2018 Oregon Coast William and Mattie Oswald reunion and have settled back into the reality of our everyday life. But it can never go exactly back to what it was because the Oswald reunion experience was extraordinary. We enjoy each others company, uphold each other, our differences do not cause friction among us. Kudos to the Jantzi family for time and effort you put into providing an opportunity for us to gather, to catch up on what has happened in our lives since last we met. It is kind of amusing as I look around at us 1st cousins that we look and act very much like I remember our parents.
I don’t know much about our Grandparents William (Bill) and Mattie and Great Grandparents, Jacob O. and Margaretha, pretty much only the data that I have gleaned from obituaries, genealogy records, bits and pieces that I occasionally pick up from family members. I try to imagine and visualize them as babies, toddlers, pre-teens, young adults, married raising and supporting their families, their retirement years, what their life was like, the spaces where they lived and what was happening in their world and the larger world. They lived their lives made choices – some good-some not so good, made decisions – some good-some not so good. They were “earthen vessels,” imperfect and susceptible to cracking, but in spite of their imperfections the gift of God’s goodness shines through them and us as well. They did not choose me, nor me them, however they are in fact, our Grand and Great Grandparents. We are reflections of those who came before us. We are inextricably bound together for all eternity, and there is no law in the universe, no metamorphosis physical or spiritual, that can ever alter this inalienable truth. I have no memories of them, I don’t know if they ever met me but I know that they loved me and are waiting to greet me in heaven.
There are 6 generations in the William and Mattie Oswald family tree.
*we have each made a difference in the lives of the people we have come in contact with –
*we are contributing members of and have made an impact in the communities we live in, and –
*we are making this world a better place to live.

I think our Parents, Grandparents and Great Grandparents would be proud of us.

This is all for now. In about 6 weeks or 2 months from now I will make another contribution to the “Oswald Reunion” web site. Tell us your story – memories of the 2018 Oregon coast reunion. Look forward to from you.