Twin Twins, April 23, 2015

Let gratitude be the pillow

upon which you kneel

to say your nightly prayer.

And let faith be the bridge you build

to overcome evil and welcome good.

~Maya Angelou

Isaac and Dominic. Today is the birthday of twins Isaac and Dominic Ortiz of San Diego. They are two of the sons of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz, and were born three years ago in Blue Springs, Missouri. Their grandmother is Kim Clark and their Great Grandmother is Thelma Shepard Boyd of Blue Springs, Missouri. Isaac and Dominic are 2 of the 15 Great Great Grandchildren of William and Bura Davis Shepard, who are mentioned below.

Desiree: "The boys will be celebrating their 3rd birthday this Thursday! I can't believe that my little guys will be three. My last babies have grown so quickly. Though they have been struggling with a condition that causes them to vomit often, they are doing well. They have come so far from when they were born. They are such a blessing! They bring happiness to my days with their fun personalities! They are such sweet loving boys!! I can't imagine my life without them!"

Amanda and Susan. Saturday, April 25, is the 35th birthday of another set of twins in our extended family, Amanda Clark Farrell and Susan Clark Cox. They are two of the daughters of Jerry Clark of Lubbock, Texas and Jane Clark Brock, also of Lubbock. Amanda is married to Chris Farrell and lives in Frisco, Texas, while Susan is married to Andrew Cox and lives in Lubbock. Best wishes and happy birthday to Susan and Amanda!

The picture above shows Susan Clark Cox with husband Andrew, and Amanda Clark Farrell with husband Chris.

One Century Ago. 6 weeks from now, June 2, 2015 will be the 100th Anniversary of the wedding of my grandparents William Shepard and Bura Davis Shepard. It will be an important occasion worth celebrating and I invite all of you to participate. Ideally we should get together in person somewhere and honor their memory, but since we are so scattered that seems unlikely. Instead -- since this is the digital age -- I invite you to be a part of an online Wedding Anniversary Celebration.

I have set up a page on The Shepard's Crook with information about that day 100 years ago and provide you with the opportunity to visit that page and share your memories and reflections in honor of them. Over the next 6 weeks I will add information and resources and interactive opportunities as we remember Will and Bura Davis Shepard on the 100th Anniversary of their wedding.

In coming weeks...

• I will put together a photo presentation highlighting images of them and their family over the last century.
• I will provide an audio recording from 1975 of William telling about the events surrounding their Oklahoma wedding in 1915.
• I will offer a list of links to various blog posts where I have discussed them, their wedding, and other events and people of a century ago.
• On that page you will have the opportunity to add comments and share your thoughts, memories, and reflections, and read the comments of others.

I invite you to visit the Shepard Anniversary page now by selecting this link, but remember to check back in coming weeks as more will be added to it as we move toward their actual wedding anniversary on June 2. Join me in marking this important 100th Anniversary Celebration!
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Steve Shepard