Little Ones

When writing about the Howard family I am struck by the number of children Lydia  looses before her own death in 1883.  As a mother of the youth coordinator, I can honestly say that every grave we record or clean, that is of a child or young adult, makes my throat dry up and my eyes water.  I have been involved in Genealogy since as far back as I can remember, but this project brings the reality of those past lives to the forefront of my thoughts.  When researching genealogy or any historical event you know your are  researching and recording past events.  But when you sit at a grave and take the time to clean, excavate or repair, you feel a bond to that person.  Especially when you have spent hours researching their lives, and finding so many did not get to live full lives.  When that person is a little kid or young adult, and you happen to be a parent, that bond is felt more deeply.  I feel for the mothers, that they had to live without their children; no parent should ever out live a child; no matter how old the parent lives to be. I wish they could have all lived long lives; but that was not the reality of their lives.  May they have found each other again in what comes after this life.