Family

 Happy Family Day everyone!  

This past Christmas Melissa bought me something that I have wanted for quite a while now.  She bought me the Ancestry DNA kit from Ancestry.com.  If you don't know how that works, it goes like this.  The kits come with a unique identification code that you register online.  Once that is completed you spit in a tube (it's not a lot of saliva BUT I did feel pressured to get enough in the tube), place the tube of saliva in the box provided and ship it off to be analyzed!  SCIENCE!!!

For years I have been intrigued by learning more about who my ancestors were, especially as I have become older.  Up until recently I was focused on my Whittier line.  It wasn't until my uncle Rick invited me to join a couple DeWitt family Facebook pages did I yearn for a greater picture of my entire family tree.

It had been over eight weeks waiting for any type of "spit analyses" to come back until I saw results for the first time yesterday.  In a nutshell, I'm 100% Caucasian. While waiting for the results to come in I've been building my family tree online.  I have over 600 people in my tree.  Of all those people I have found one pastor, an American Civil War captain, the caretaker for Mary Queen of Scots AND a Sheriff of Nottingham.  Unfortunately it wasn't THE Sheriff of Nottingham connected with Robin Hood, but I'll take it.

On the Ancestry family of websites, I have over 37,000 people that I share some type of genetic material with ranging from as far away as Melbourne, Australia clear over to one sole connection on Hawaii and all places in between.  My DNA results have aligned with my own family research.  I have Scottish, English, Irish and Dutch roots.  Like I said, I'm white.  Just call me "Plain Bread Fred," I guess.

I have found a few pictures of my relatives along the way.  My children think I look a lot like my maternal grandmother.  Caleb shares a few facial features of my great grandmother's father.  Meagan is the spitting image of my sister.  To be honest, I think this kit has been one of the greatest Christmas gifts I've ever received...next to Thunder Punch He-Man!

While I am grateful for the DNA kit's results, I cannot forget to be thankful for the immediate family I have.  I have a wonderful wife that supports me to no end.  We have two wonderful children that have unlimited potential to do whatever they put their minds to.  

I am blessed to have my father still with me, and equally as blessed to have had my mother for as long as I did.  Even though I don't say it often they gave me the best of all best friends I have ever had in my sister.  She, and her husband, both amaze me with the great work they have done with my three nephews (I know what you're wondering and the answer is YES.  I am their favourite uncle).

Melissa's parents are shining examples of what a loving marriage should look like!  I am so blessed to count them as family.  They, along with all my aunts and uncles, cousins and in laws are people that I would always go to bat for.  Family is special to me.    

I'm not sure what you might think about your genetic connections but let me encourage you with something before I end.  Take time to appreciate the family you have, as well as your friendships.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow so take the time today to let them know you care!  

I know that was a rather weak way to end my post.  You'll have to excuse me, though.  I have a Hawaiian cousin I need to contact.  They're going to want me to come over soon, right?