[or-roots] tact, humor and history

[Magbatt at aol.com]

Hang in there, Nancy.  We get it all.  Actually, these very people who so 
like to tickle our funny bones (sometimes not so gently) are also very helpful 
when they can be.  I have picked up much information - some direct and some just 
general through their stories about my ancestors and their neighbors. 

As for the humor, whenever my sisters and I visit the museum at Brownsville 
the volunteers always comment that they can tell we are descendants of Capt. 
Blakely.  He was known for his sense of humor and his whole bloody family seems 
to have been blessed with it.   As you walk in the door, you see on the 
opposite wall the large, typically stern portrait of him, but if you check further 
you see the one of him with his great-granddaughter (my grandmother) at about 
age six standing behind him and wearing his glasses.  You can see the sense of 
humor coming through despite his attempt to surpress it for the camera.   The 
volunteers say the same thing about one of the other Brownsville family as 
well.  (Cooleys?)

What with the D-day anniversary this weekend, I just got done rereading all 
the letters my father sent to his mother from England.  They are full of the 
thrill of flying, the weariness, the sorrow for those who don't make it home and 
the innocent who suffered from the bombs he dropped.  But there was also 
humor.  It was the humor that got him through and cemented the bond between him 
and his crew.  He earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses and many other 
awards, so it must have served him well.  

I agree that a bit of tact is sometimes needed here and there, especially on 
the sensitive subjects, but sometimes I think we don't realize that we are 
sounding harsh.  Maybe it should be tact, humor, history, and tolerance.    

Midge
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