THE IRISH SIDE

Several years ago, I wrote about some of my Danish ancestors. My dad’s mother was Irish, and her family is interesting, too.

My second great-grandmother, Margaret Lyons, was born in Skibbereen, Cork, Ireland in 1843. She arrived in the US in 1853 when she was nine-years-old with her parents, Timothy Lyons and Catherine Lane. Both were from County Cork, Ireland. (I have traced their families farther back, but I will write about those who came to this country.)

In 1861, She married Edward Eamon (or Joseph—records differ) Connolly, born in 1834 in Carrickmacross, Monaghan, Ireland. He was twenty-seven, and she was eighteen.

Their daughter, Catherine (Kit or Kate) Connolly, born in 1862 in Danville, Illinois, was my great-grandmother.

She married Thomas Anthony McNamara, born in 1860 in Streator, Illinois in 1881 in LaSalle County, Illinois. She was nineteen-years-old and he was twenty-one. I have no photos of Thomas.

They had seven children, of whom my grandmother, Margaret Imelda, was number five. She was born in Streator, Illinois in 1897.

In 1915, when Margaret was eighteen-years-old, she married Henry Ramsbottom Lund in Utah. He was twenty-nine. (I think my brother resembled the photo below.)

Their marriage was a bit of a problem because he came from a Utah Mormon pioneer family, and Margaret’s family was Catholic. Grandpa once told me he had a shotgun wedding. “Her brother came after me with a shotgun!”

They moved to Nevada, where my dad, Henry LaRay Lund, was born in Ely in 1916.

Grandpa grew up on a cattle ranch in Spring City, Utah. He was also a blacksmith and a talented cabinetmaker. During the Great Depression, he was never out of work. (He worked in the smithy behind his house until about two years before he died.)

Grandpa’s older brother homesteaded in Alberta, Canada. He had a large ranch. So, Grandpa packed up his family and moved there.

While living on the ranch, my two aunts, Rose Imelda and Mary Evelyn, were born.

The family moved again, this time to California to join several of Grandpa’s siblings.

When Dad was six, Rose was three, and Mary Evelyn was eighteen months, their mother died. (I was told the photo above was taken after their mother passed away, and she was added.)

The children were sent to live with Grandpa’s older sister, Sarah Edith. She had raised Grandpa and several of his siblings after his own mother passed away when he was nine-years-old. (She had given birth to thirteen children.)

When Rose was old enough to go to school, the girls moved in with their McNamara aunts in Alhambra, California. Dad lived with Aunt Edith in Riverside, CA, and Grandpa lived in Hawthorne, CA. They didn’t see him often.

When Dad was fourteen and ready to start high school, he returned to live with his dad. When Rose entered high school, Dad brought the girls home. He saw to it that both finished high school.

Dad married my mother, Vera Mary Methven, in 1942. He was twenty-eight, and she was twenty-four.

Dad was serving in the US Army in WWII at the time. Until the end of 1945, they were apart.

Dad returned home, and in 1946, I was born. In 1949, my brother, Ronald Travis Lund joined the family.

We moved to a brand-new house in Alhambra, California in November of 1948, just months before Ron was born.

Dad died in 1954. I was seven. Ron was four.

When Ron passed away in August of 2020, we found an outline for a book about an idealized childhood among his things. Larry and I decided to complete the book. Since we all grew up in the same neighborhood, the memories in the book include both of ours as well as my brother’s. The book, Dominic Drive, was published in January of 2021.

I wrote about more than my Irish roots, but they led to my being where I am today.

Are you interested in your own genealogy? I have done extensive researched on mine and Larry’s. We have found many surprises along the way.

A PERFECT DISNEY DAY

 My grandmother took my mother, brother, and me to Disneyland in August of 1955 to celebrate my ninth birthday. I LOVED it! Larry’s family went for the first time in March of 1956 and visited to celebrate his brother and his birthdays nearly every year when they were growing up. Larry’s love affair with theme parks began with his first visit as well.

When we were dating, we went there several times. One of those times inspired a scene in Larry’s book of short stories, Lakeview Park. You can find it in the chapter on “George.”

The scene takes place on the Matterhorn ride. They have since changed the ride vehicles so each passenger has a separate seat. Larry was sad to see the changes.

We also attended the first and second New Year’s Eve parties in the park. They were sponsored by local radio station KRLA. Since they were new at the time, not too many people went. However, by the third year, ticket prices went up, and many more people went. We stopped going.

But our love for theme parks took us on the adventure of our lives. (We call ourselves “theme park junkies.”) Larry was hired as a Project Engineer for the Universal Studios Japan theme park. I was offered a job in the Osaka office to commence once we arrived in the country. We lived there for thirty-one months, and wrote a book about our experiences. This launched our second careers.

We visited Disneyland throughout our daughter’s childhood. She loved it as much as we did. She even worked there for five years as a second job, during which time, we bought annual passes each year (the unlimited ones with parking included). Often we called each other at work. “Do you want to meet at Disneyland for dinner?” I’d contact Kim to see when she would get her dinner break. Then we would drive to the park to see her.

In 2005, Kim’s company moved her to Dallas, Texas. She obviously had to give up her job at Disneyland. In addition, they raised the prices outrageously. We decided not to renew our passes.

In 2021, for our anniversary and my birthday, we decided to complete one of my bucket-list items: to spend a night at the Grand Californian Hotel. I loved the building the first time I saw it. It was inspired by the Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite, a place I had always wanted to visit. We spent two nights and got park tickets for three days.

After this wonderful getaway, we realized how much we had missed our park passes. So, we deiced to get new ones—despite the outrageous prices.

The only way to make them worthwhile was to go at lest twice a month, and we have. I also call it “theme park aerobics” because we walk many miles each time we go.

Last Tuesday, we went to the park. On the bus from the Toy Story parking lot, we met a neat couple. We discussed what the park was like in the early days. We were able to tell them about our book, Dominic Drive, which contains a description of a family trip to Disneyland in 1964. This trip is totally accurate as to the rides and attractions which were there at the time.

Because we go often, we don’t have a major agenda of rides we have to go on. We decided to head for the Jungle Cruise. We had a delightful young woman as captain. She had a few new jokes, so it was fun.

Pirates of the Caribbean was closed, so we detoured through the French Quarter. Ever since we got our new passes in October, we have been trying to get reservations at the Blue Bayou Restaurant. No luck. However, since the ride isn’t working, they put a wall on the ride side of the restaurant. To our surprise, we got reservations! We used to celebrate special occasions there. Since Larry’s birthday was the week before, we were thrilled to be able to go there to celebrate.

We went on the Haunted Mansion (with a new scene) and the Mark Twain paddle-wheeler. We met Doogie, who is one of the operators. We had a great conversation with him.

As we were getting off, we noticed they were bringing the three-masted ship Columbia online. They haven’t run this one for quite some time. So, after lunch, we went back to ride it. We met a couple of nice ladies from Canada and enjoyed talking to them.

We boarded the train and discovered they were running the caboose. We asked and were allowed to ride in it. Took the train around the park and met some other nice people.

Our passes allow us to change parks after one o’clock. So, we crossed over using the monorail to get to Downtown Disney.

We love to stop in the hotel lobby to listen to the piano before we go to California Adventure. Just as we got there, we noticed someone getting ready to play. We recognized her as our friend, Peggy Dusquesnel. We have known her for years and loved her playing. She asked what we wanted to hear, and she did about twenty minutes of our favorites. What a special treat!

We stopped in California Adventure, but all the wait times for the rides were especially long. The place was packed because of the Wine & Food Festival. Since it was already after three o’clock, we decided to head home.

The entire day was filled with Disney magic and charm.

My Sis’s Angel

I first met my “sis” when I was two years old. My family moved into our new house in Alhambra, California two doors away from Kathleen’s family. There were lots of kids in the neighborhood, so we always had playmates. Over the years, Kathleen and I remained good friends. 

Suzanne Van Clief, Diane Graham, Kathleen Murphy, Susie Tabulara, me, Carol Provinse

She was my maid-of-honor when I got married, and I was her matron-of-honor. 

1965 Wedding Kathleen, me, Larry, Virgil Thomas

On June 18, 2020, I received a message from Kathleen’s husband: “After a month-long illness, Kathleen entered eternity early this morning at Huntington Hospital. 75 years 9 months.”

She had been hospitalized after many months of physical difficulties. I got to speak with her a few days before this message. She was upbeat and talked a lot about going home and all the things she intended to do when she got there. She went home, but not to her earthly home.

We shared many interests, but one of them was our love of angels. We both had LOTS of them. Nearly every room in my home has angels in it somewhere. Many rooms have multiples. This is the secretary in the entrance. There are also more in the entry and the living room. One of my guest rooms is full of them.

A couple of these were gifts from my daughter. Most others were from friends. 

Two belonged to dear friends, now deceased.

We promised Kathleen we would spread a few of her ashes in Ireland. We plan to do it soon.

Yesterday, we met her widower to receive the ashes. In addition to those, he brought me some other items that were hers. Among them was an angel. “I know you also collected these and thought you might like to have this one.”

I was delighted to receive it. It now sits in my downstairs guest bath. This one is Baccarat crystal and sits on a lighted base. I love the way it looks, and I will always think of my own angel in Heaven every time I see it. What a thoughtful and precious gift.

 

Left Coast Crime

 Are you going to Left Coast Crime in Albuquerque on April 7-10, 2022?

It’s a conference for mystery writers and readers.

You can help support Great Little Libraries in New Mexico.

 

Background on Great Little Libraries Program. In 2019, the State of New Mexico identified its fifty smallest public libraries in rural areas. These libraries are on pueblos, in unincorporated towns, or in towns with small commercial sectors. Thus, municipal tax support is usually non-existent, and the New Mexico Rural Library Endowment Fund provides a maximum of $2,500 a year to individual libraries. Most of these libraries were created by grass-root efforts of citizens in the community and function with no paid employees.

Community public libraries are a valuable resource in any state. However, they are particularly important in New Mexico because the state ranked 50^th in K-12 education programs in 2018.

Croak and Dagger, the New Mexico chapter of Sisters in Crime, created the Great Little Libraries Adventure to help these fifty smallest public libraries several years ago. We try to supply these libraries with books by our authors and offer to do programs and displays for them to encourage reading and writing. The board for Left Coast Crime agreed to adopt our Croak and Dagger Program in 2021. Thus, all funds raised at the charity auction and all books left over from the Left Coast Crime conference in Albuquerque on April 7-10 will be distributed to New Mexico’s fifty smallest libraries. So, be sure to donate books and bid on items if you attend the conference. For more details on Left Coast Crime see: https://www.leftcoastcrime.org/2022.

Libraries may use the funds for materials, services to support community literacy, or infrastructure challenges that inhibit the library’s literacy mission. Croak & Dagger will request a brief report from each library about how the donation has addressed literacy initiatives in that community.

Learn more about rural towns and pueblos in New Mexico. Although many of the pueblos of New Mexico are famous for their pottery and casinos, agriculture is still a major source of income on the pueblos. If you want to get in the mood for your visit to Left Coast Crime or just want to learn a little about rural life in New Mexico, read a book about the problems in New Mexico agriculture today.

Life is tough on the pueblos of the Southwest. Opportunities and water are always limited. In the thriller, A POUND OF FLESH, SORTA, life gets a lot tougher on the Acoma pueblo when the plague hits the livestock and one man is killed in mysterious accident in a nearby meat packing plant while another disappears. Scientist Sara Almquist thinks she has clues to solve the mysteries if she's not killed first.

Book at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560

J. L. Greger was a faculty member in the College of Agriculture and Life Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for many years and was involved in a number of outreach program in rural areas. She is now an active member of Croak and Dagger, the New Mexico chapter of Sisters in Crime. https://www.jlgreger.com

Coming Home

 I always love it when our kids come home to visit. This past couple of years have been challenging, what with Covid and travel restrictions.

Our Japanese “son,” Toshi, used to come to California on business several times a year. He extended each trip by a few days so he could come to Dana Point for a visit. He was actually here with us the day foreign travel was shut down in 2020. We suggested he just remain here, but he said he had obligations in Japan. He flew out that night, and we hadn’t seen him since.

We all bemoaned his inability to travel during the time he was gone.

However, he is now fully vaccinated, and the restrictions have been lifted—or at least lightened. He arrived on May 3 for over three weeks with us, and we were so happy to see him!

When he comes, he brings two laptop computers and continues to participate in Zoom meetings and to do work while he is here. I keep urging him to take a REAL vacation. Also, because his clients are in Asia, most of his meetings are late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Sleep is a luxury for him!

He has many friends here in Orange County and San Diego. So, while he is here, he plans visits to see them. We still have three cars, so he uses mine during his stays.

If he goes out drinking with his friends, he always texts me to let me know he is spending the night where he is, rather than driving home. I appreciate his thoughtfulness and consideration.

While he was here, we went to Disneyland with him one day. We were pleased that he could get a ticket and that we could make reservations for the same day. We had a great time!

He took several early morning walks at the marina with us, and we enjoyed having him. On his last evening, we took the Bluff Top Trail (or the Hide Trail) just before sunset. It is short, but it has gorgeous views of the harbor, which we all enjoyed.

Larry meets several of his friends via Zoom a couple of times a month. Most of them are retired, and some live away from California. Since Toshi knows most of them, Larry invited him to join them for a meeting.

He was very impressed. He said his father is retired, but he has no relationships with any other men since his retirement. Toshi wants to create a template for the kind of group he observed here. He wants market it to companies as part of their retirement packages as a way for former employees to stay in touch. I certainly hope he can find a way to make it work.

Since he knows many of our friends, he attended a number of events and church with us.

Like our daughter, Kim, Toshi has favorite restaurants to visit while he is here. One is our favorite, The Harbor Grill in Dana Point Harbor. We enjoyed a lovely dinner there with him.

He also wanted an American steak before he left. We had a meal at the Claim Jumper. He and Larry each ordered a different steak and then shared them so they could taste both.

He always has items to purchase while he is here in California. This time, he bought two pairs of driving shoes. Several years ago, we bought him a pair. He told us they are now worn out.

He also looked for T-shirts. He likes simple ones without designs. He found a couple he liked.

One Saturday morning, we went down to the Outlets at San Clemente for Cars and Coffee. He loves fast cars, and there were plenty of them for him to look at. Afterward, we ate brunch at Ruby’s Diner.

His stay was over far too quickly. He flew to San Francisco, where he planned to spend a couple of days. Then he took two days to visit the Napa Valley. He swore he was taking a real vacation while he was there.

He will fly back to Tokyo in a couple of days from San Francisco. He hopes to be back here again in a few months. We certainly hope this will be possible since we thoroughly enjoy having him.

Our Children

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They came through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

Kahlil Gibran The Prophet

I read this beautiful book many years ago, and its wisdom has remained powerful for me. The section on children is a reminder that our biological children are not extensions of ourselves but a gift we are given and pass on to the world. They are their own separate beings. Our task as parents is to help them become all they can be.

We had only one biological child, our daughter, Kimberly. We are proud of the beautiful human being she has become—perhaps in spite of us.

When she was growing up, we always took another child with us whenever we went somewhere so she would have company. Over the years, some of those were “added” to our family, like Donna, Erin, Savannah, and our godchild, Tracy. We are also close to our nieces and nephews. We would do anything for them.

When we moved to Dana Point nearly 35 years ago, we began to host foreign students in our home for “homestay” programs. They lived with us for between six and twelve weeks. They became our children. Most of them have returned to visit us here in California. Our Spanish daughter was Miss International. She is now an actress. Our six from Japan visited us during the time we lived there. We visited them, too.

Dad, Ikue, Fumiko, Yasuko with Daisuke, Kim, Vera (my mother), Mom, Kae, Yuko

Yasuko had a small child when we arrived. During our time there, she and her husband had a second. These are our only grandchildren. Make no mistake, they are ours.

Through church friends, we learned about Music Mission Kiev (Kyiev). They used to tour the US every other year, and the orchestra and choir members were housed in private homes. We hosted musicians for five of those tours. The last ones were young singers with the opera chorus. We have remained in contact with several of these musicians. When the attacks began on Ukraine, we immediately thought or our friends there. And we began to pray. Our prayers continue.

Last December, good friends in Texas hosted a Ukrainian orphan in their home for several weeks—including through Christmas. While she was there, our friend posted almost daily about the experience. They loved being able to give this precious little girl a real family and a special holiday to remember.

This morning, the “dad” posted this picture along with the final photo taken of him and her before they put her on the plane

“This was the last thing I used the translator for when I was taking our sweet girl to the airport to go back to Ukraine in January. She begged to not go back not even knowing this war was around the corner. Pretty heartbreaking to have a child who calls you dad living in a war zone and there is nothing you can do to change it…”

He gave me permission to use the photo of the two of them, but in order to protect their privacy, I have chosen not to. However, their looks gave little doubt about their mutual love for each other.

These images broke my heart. This little girl is truly their child, just as our “kids” are truly ours.

Our Japanese son arrived yesterday, and we are delighted to have him.

Do you have any children who are not related by blood but who are our hearts’ children?

Celebrating a Life Well-lived

Today we celebrated the life of my longtime friend, Karen Stone.

I met her when her then-fiancé brought her to church (Community Presbyterian in San Juan Capistrano). However, as we talked, I realized that we probably had met years earlier. Growing up, she attended the Monterey Park Methodist Church. My best friend, Kathleen Murphy, also went to that church. It was an active congregation. They presented musical events, luncheons, and plays. Throughout high school, I attended most of them with Kathleen. So did Karen

Eventually, she and Jeff Stone were married and became a part of the large, active couples’ group at the church.

I learned early on that music was very important to both of them. Karen played the marimba, and before long, she began to play for the church talent shows, worship services, and other events, accompanied by Armand Stephanian on the drums.

Jeff also played several instruments, so their shared love of music was a special bond.

For many years, Jeff hosted “The Ragtime Show” on local station KSBR on Sunday nights between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Through this interest, he and Karen began to attend the annual ragtime convention, where they made many friends who shared their passion.

Their musical interest didn’t stop there, however. They were members of the Laguna Folkdancers. Karen invited us to join them, but our schedule never seemed to allow us to do so. They also took dance lessons: western, ballroom, etc. We were also invited to join them for this activity.

Both were active in social justice issues. They belonged to a group called Beyond War, along with several others in the congregation. They were instrumental in having a Peace Pole installed at CPC.

Karen’s service today was held at the Neighborhood Congregational Church in Laguna Beach, where she and Jeff became members when they moved to Laguna Hills. As we parked, I noticed a Peace Pole there as well. I smiled to think that either it was there to welcome her and Jeff when they arrived, or they lobbied to have one installed there. In either case, she had found a new home.

But she never completely left CPC. She attended many events there even after she moved her membership.

Karen worked part time in the office at Community Pres in SJC for about eight years, from May of 1983 until about 1991. Virginia Webb and she shared the position until the church hired a fulltime office administrator.

She was always a joy. She worked under Rev. Robert Schwenck. At the time, Sunday bulletins were hand-typed, laid out on large boards, taken to the printer, and proofed. Then volunteers folded them on Friday afternoons. My mother, Vera Mansfield, was one of the volunteers. She and Karen became close friends. For several years, Karen, Darla (the bookkeeper), and Virginia took Mom for lunch on her birthday. Mom loved Karen.

She attended many of the church’s women's retreats at Wylie Woods Presbyterian Conference Center. Even after she and Jeff moved to Laguna Hills and began to attend the Neighborhood Church, she came to every one.

Karen was a terrific photographer. She took photos at each retreat and put them together on a large poster. A couple of weeks after each retreat, the ladies led worship based upon the theme for the weekend. One of Karen’s posters always greeted us on an easel as we entered the sanctuary for the service.

She also mounted her photos on notecards. I purchased some from her and looked forward to receiving a note from her on one in the mail. Karen was a lovely correspondent.

She let us borrow some of her photos for the 100^th anniversary book we created in 2019 for the church (Community Presbyterian Church of San Juan Capistrano: 1919-2019 – 100 years of History). Of course, Karen attended the events of the anniversary weekend. She and Jeff are both featured in the book since Jeff designed and installed the first sound system in the sanctuary.

Until her death, Karen remained a faithful member of the CPC Prayer Chain. She often emailed or called me for more information about a prayer request.

At eleven years old, in 2003, my friend’s daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. It only affects children, and it is always fatal, usually within two years. We put Emily on the CPC Prayer Chain. I occasionally sent updates. However, Karen subscribed to Emily’s Caring Bridge site. She called me occasionally—especially when Emily’s condition worsened. Against all odds, Emily lived until 2019 when she was twenty-six! Much longer than anyone had expected. You can read Emily’s story here.

When we received the news that Emily had passed away, Karen called me, and we wept together. Through all those years, Karen prayed faithfully for Emily, just as she did for many others.

Karen was proud of the charity her mother created: Mary Erickson Community Housing. Because of Karen, CPC has supported this organization for years.

Karen was a gentle warrior, fighting for justice. She was kindness personified, but she had strong beliefs and did not hesitate to express them. However, I never heard her raise her voice. She was a good and faithful friend, loving wife, and stepmother to Kathy and Chris. She had a radiant smile and gentle nature. And I am proud to have called her friend. I shall miss her.

Pennies From Heaven

 When we were cleaning out my brother’s home in September of 2020, we found coins—mostly pennies but a few dimes, nickels, and quarters, too--EVERYWHERE. They were in drawers, on every flat surface, in containers, and under the sofa cushions. His nightstand was piled with them, and they overflowed on the floor. When his friend emptied the closet, he found some in rolls. I told him to take them to his bank and deposit them in his account.

We put the loose ones in a jar and brought them home. After they were all rolled, we had over $50 in change. The bank was delighted to have it.

I NEVER carry change. I pay for most things with credit cards, rarely with cash. If I occasionally get change from a purchase, I put it in a piggy bank I keep at home just to avoid carrying the heavy stuff around.

As we left Ron’s place on the last day, I turned to Larry. “I expect to find coins from time to time from my brother.”

I have.

A month or so later, I walked out to put some trash in the bin. I looked down and found a penny. Just then, two dragonflies flew by closer to me than I have ever seen them. I remembered the scene Larry had written in Dominic Drive describing chasing them as a boy. This was the book Ron started and we finished. I took this appearance of a coin on my driveway and the dragonflies to indicate Ron was happy with the book.

In July of 2021, we attended our first writing conference in several years. As we left the hotel, I looked down. There was a shiny quarter. During the conference, we had been talking about Dominic Drive. I presumed my brother was happy.

Another morning, I met a friend at the marina for our early morning walk. As I opened the car door, I spotted a quarter. We had made a large donation to City of Hope in Ron’s memory shortly before, and I presumed he was glad about it. (His doctor, who took great care of him, was affiliated with the hospital.)

Ever since Ron died, I have been in touch with his precious neighbor. She really cared for him and took him meals about once a week because she knew he wasn’t eating well.

Ron disliked small children, but he made an exception for her son, Chris. Ron thought of this boy as his buddy. They got together to talk about cars. He had mentioned this young man several times in conversation. In fact, he talked about him during our last phone call.

Ron had LOTS of “toys”—mostly RC cars, car models, etc. When we found those, I put them out on the porch and told Chris he could take whatever he wanted. He did.

Ron also loved the family dog. She would occasionally escape. They never had to wonder where she was. Ron never closed his sliding door. Several times while we were talking on the phone, he would interrupt. “Here’s my dog. I have to go.”

He loved the dog, and she loved him.

Just over a month after Ron died, the dog died as well. I felt sorry for the whole family, but especially for Chris. First, he’d lost his buddy and then his dog.

The story grew worse, however. In January of 2021, his father was killed in a drive-by shooting as he was leaving his aunt’s house. The killer has never been caught.

This was the same dear, sweet family man who had discovered Ron’s body the morning he died.

I checked in with his wife from time to time and made a couple of donations in Ron’s name to the Go Fund Me account, which was started for the family.

I heard from her in early December. She said the holidays would be rough. Larry and I decided that we would send them a nice check so the kids would have a little extra for Christmas.

The next day, as I got out of my car at the marina, there was a quarter next to the car on the ground. Yep. He was happy about our decision. I told her the story and said the gift was from Ron. (I inherited all his assets, so this was the truth.)

Last week when we were at Disneyland, we had a long wait for the monorail. While we waited, we talked to another man who, like us, had been to Disneyland in the early years and continued to go often. We told him about the description in the book of a family trip to Disneyland in 1964.

When we reached our car at the end of the day, right next to my door was a shiny penny from 2020 (the year he died). It definitely hadn’t been there when we left the car earlier in the day. Yep, he was happy we were talking about the book he had imagined.

I have been putting “Ron’s” coins in the cup holder in the car.

They make me smile whenever I see them. So far, I have found three quarters and two pennies. Each came at a significant time. Maybe they were just coincidence, but I like to think they are messages from my brother.

I have other friends who believe they receive indications that their loved ones are still around. One sees butterflies. Another spots purple flowers and cardinals. Still another told me about seeing two birds at her kitchen window each morning for months. She felt they were there to let her know that her son and husband were together.

Have you ever had signs from a loved one? What were they?

Being Interviewed

 

In October of 2020, we were interviewed by our friends Janet Lynn and Will Zelinger. They are also a married couple who write together, just like us.

We ran into them at several writers’ conferences and other events. We have spent time together and discovered we had a lot in common. They subsequently became dear friends.

Their podcast is called “Chatting with Authors.” They interview some of their friends and favorite authors. We had been interviewed on several other podcasts previously, but this one was especially enjoyable.

This Friday, Janet and Will are featuring our interview again. If you missed it the first time, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/xcYwJKHOJj0

Want to learn more about us as authors? Watch this interview.

Janet’s homepage is: Janet Elizabeth Lynn home page (janetlynnauthor.com)

Will’s is: Will Zeilinger Author page

They write mysteries. They often set theirs in historical Los Angeles. If you are interested in "visiting” early Los Angeles, their books are well-researched, reflecting real places and people.

You can follow their podcast to learn about new authors you may not have read—yet!

Hope you will tune in to learn more about us.

You can always see our interview on our website: https://www.lornalarry.com, and you can learn about our books there.

Another New Relative

A few years ago, Larry received an email through one of the sites where we had our DNA evaluated. It was from a DNA relative—one he had no idea about. She had been adopted and was looking for her birth mother. Both Larry and his brother, Casey, had received emails from her.

She indicated they were related on his father’s side as second cousins. She only knew her mother’s age at the time she was born and that she was from California. (The “new” cousin was from another state.)

This one was easy to figure out even though we had no idea that this particular cousin had ever had another child. We were out-of-state ourselves at the time Her daughter was born, so we were unaware of her whereabouts.

Larry passed the email on to his cousin, and we were able to connect her to her first child.

We also communicated with the daughter and invited her to come to California for a visit and to meet the other family members. This has yet to happen, but we are hopeful.

Last week, it happened again. Larry and Casey received emails from another DNA relative. This time, it was a first cousin! She was born in another state where we were fairly certain NONE of the relatives had ever visited. She was looking for her birth father, whom she had never met. She had just gotten her DNA results and was shocked to find out she was over half European. Her mother was Native American, and she had always believed she was, too.

We spent a couple of days trying to figure out who her father could possibly be.

There were four brothers in Larry’s dad’s family. His dad was immediately eliminated because they are first cousins. This left three others.

We went through all the scenarios before Larry dredged up a memory from his childhood that put everything in perspective. We are now over 90% certain we have the right one. Since this uncle had no other children and has been dead for many years, we can’t confirm this 100%, but we are quite sure we have the right person.

The only way to be completely sure would be for Larry’s cousins to take DNA tests with the same site to eliminate their fathers. (We are confident of the outcome.)

We shared our theory with Larry’s brother and our daughter, and they agreed completely.

Since then, we have been in touch with his “new” cousin, sharing photos and other family information. She is understandably shocked with the results, but she is also happy to finally clarify her parentage.

We have welcomed her to the family and invited her to come here to meet her other relatives. We are excited to get to know her.

We love the show, Finding Your Roots. As Dr. Gates always says, “DNA don’t lie.”

This is the side of the family with “boring” farmers. Who would have guessed?

Have you ever had this kind of surprise?