A friend posted this on FB and it hits me right between the eyes!

God saw you getting tired & a cure was not to be. So, he put his arms around you & whispered "come with me". With tearful eyes, I watched and saw you pass away. Although I love you dearly, I could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest. God broke my heart to prove to me, he only takes the BEST.

So, I finally broke down and joined Ancestry.com to make my searching easier. Holy cow there is a lot of information there and much of my work has been started.

I found out some interesting things this morning:

- My Dad's brother who died in infancy was always referred to as "Bobby", his given name was John Robert (John after my grandpa).

- My great-grandparents on the Schuessler side were both born in Germany and our name was actually Schnessler before immigration.

- My grandfather is listed on the census forms in his early years as Howard Schuessler, and this changes to John Howard Schuessler at about age 10.

- My great-grandfather George Schuessler completed a WWI draft card at age 39.

It is an amazing feeling to just see their names and the important dates in their lives. I feel very blessed that my ancestors came to America and I can't wait to see what else I can find!

Heaven

It is hard to think about ancestors and not immediately call to mind those who have recently left this earth. I just saw this posting on FB and it touched me...

I thought of you today, but that is nothing new.

I thought about you yesterday, and days before that too.

I think of you in silence, I often speak your name.

All I have are memories and a picture in a frame.

Your memory is a keepsake, from which I'll never part.

God has you in his arms, I have you in my heart ♥

My Loved Ones that are dearly missed...

Michael Krueger ~ 2008 ~ Cousin

Carl T. Geng ~ 2007 ~ Father-in-law

Ellen Loan Krueger ~ 2007 ~ Aunt

Cole Krueger ~ Cousin

Bradford "Jerry" Blauvelt ~ 1998 ~ Dad

Elwood Morris Schuessler ~ 1997 ~ Father

Pearl, Pappy, and Sharon ~ 1996 ~ Friends

Jason Michael Champlin ~ 1990~ Friend

Purpose

I have been reading the blogs of some close friends and have wanted to start one, but I could not decide on a purpose for my blog. Today I saw a genealogy page on Facebook and it came to me. My blog will be about the life of my immediate family and also about my journey to find my ancestors.

So, after I get my blog "prettied up" I will be back with some hopefully interesting stories about my family!