Eat Yur Cheez, Annie

I just sent a note to my daughter and told her she'd better eat her Swiss cheese with contentment that it's part of her heritage.  Maybe not the cheese but the Swiss.

My sister Laurie recently signed up for Ancestry.com, and she's been learning a lot about her family roots, which include the Tibbs clan and the Halter/Short clan. 

Until my mother discovered when she was 79 that her mother's family had come from Ireland, Laurie didn't know she was Irish.

"I always thought we were Irish," she said, upon learning that information.

Of course, since my ancestry includes the Brown clan and the Halter/Short connection, I already knew I was Irish.  My real father was pretty much full-blooded Irish.

So, I was kinda happy to know that my younger siblings shared even more of the same heritage. 

My mother's Irish roots date back to County Donegal in Northern Ireland, while my father's family came from the Republic of Ireland in the south.

Well, so far Laurie's research has taken her on a journey with the Halters and the Tibbs families. 

We all knew, until Laurie's recent discoveries that we were Irish, English and French.  Mother knew that her French folks came from Alsace-Lorraine in eastern France, bordering Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. 

What we did not know, however,  was that the Halter family traces back beyond the Alsace-Lorraine to Switzerland.

So, now, thanks to Laurie's research, we know that Annie unwittingly visited another country of our family heritage in August.  Regular readers know that she and I visited Ireland in March and some of the areas where both sides of my family hung out a few years back.

After her most recent trip, Annie brought us some Swiss souvenirs, and this morning, I'm looking at that Swiss cow bell on the island with a whole new perspective.

Plus, I know why I've always liked Swiss cheese!

I find it truly amazing and exciting to discover these little gems of family history, and we, as a family, have experienced gradual doses throughout our lives.  

I think it may be more fun that way because whenever the information surfaces, it brings on a whole new passion to do some more looking.

And, as Laurie said yesterday, this is a study that never really ends, making it all the more fascinating. 

Today we'll all be thinking about a person very important in our family roots, as this day marks the 8th anniversary since our dad, Harold Tibbs, passed away.  

We never forget you, Harold.  

Each day there are moments when something you instilled in all of us comes to light (like shutting the gate or taking good care of those animals).

We all give thanks for your guidance.

And, with that in mind, I'm sure every family member has maintained the advised tradition of "keeping their noses clean" and "not taking any wooden nickels."