400 and Counting, January 23, 2014

The most durable,
lasting power in this world

is the power to love. 

~Rev Martin Luther King, Jr.

Congratulations to Kevin and Havilah Colgain Wardle whose 4th wedding anniversary is today, Jan 23, 2014. Havilah is one of the great grandchildren

of Will and Bura Davis Shepard, by way of her mother Joan Shepard and her grandfather Elmer Shepard. Havilah and Kevin live in Victoria, Texas. The first picture shows Kevin and Havilah on their wedding day four years ago. 

400 and Counting. My last blog post was the 400th of The Shepard's Crook. It makes me grateful for being part of a family about which there is so much to say! I am not just talking about the drama that occasionally comes to our families. I am talking about the people and their stories, of recent times and long ago, who provide the foundation of our family's life and history. Their stories need to be told so we will know who we have been and who we are becoming.

I consider it important to keep the focus of this blog on family, even though it is tempting to do otherwise. For example, my nephew Patrick Shepard wants me to report here (surely not in a gloating gesture!?) that his beloved Seattle Seahawks football team beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game last Sunday. But I must resist, even though it is of great importance to him and his family. Am I being too harsh?

In the course of writing this blog I have included many pictures of new babies, growing children, parents, grandparents, and ancestors who are no longer around. At last count I have included 777 family pictures in this blog, some taken the very day the entry was posted, others images over 100 years old. A handful of the family pictures I have included were from the 19th century, and are rare gems to be cherished forever.

The picture below is a combination of one such 19th century photo, alongside one of the most recent pictures I have. The left half shows Leroy and Ellen Taylor Gower (in the 1880s), while the right half was taken earlier this week and shows their youngest GGGG grandchild, Logan Joseph Shepard of Bothell, Washington.

Speaking of pictures, I am always interested in other old family photos that may exist somewhere in the closets or attics of our extended family. One of my goals in writing this blog is to create a photo archive of our family that will last for generations. If you have any old family photos, I am very interested in working with you to get a digital copy for inclusion in The Shepard's Crook. Images that are included here will be available to future generations far, far longer than any physical photograph.  

Thanks to all of you who are readers of these posts, especially those who have connected with me in various ways and have shared pictures or informative emails, or in other ways have contributed to this ongoing family resource. 

God only knows what our lives and our family will look like in years to come, but some things will remain the same: people marry, new children arrive, we all age and the diversity of our families grows richer and broader. I am excited about what the future holds for the family circles in which we find ourselves. They are all worth remembering and celebrating.
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Steve Shepard