First things first. Grasshopper No.5 has a birthday today and she steps firmly into her 30's. It seems her appetite for Starbucks coffee and chocolate has produced a decadence in her life. Happy Birthday No.5.
I pride myself on knowing the Andrews history. A lot of the information came from my Grandma Myrna. Sometimes she would share secrets such as her father-in-law, Elmer Andrews allegedly spending his early years in Canada and fathering twin boys. Eventually Elmer settled down in the U.S. and started a "legitimate family" including my Grandpa Chalk (Myrna's husband).
Several years ago, I congratulated my Uncle Bob (Bucky's brother) on his birthday and I called him Robert John. He corrected me by saying his official birth certificate name was Robert Jack. That surprised me because there were lots of "Johns" in the family tree and it would have been natural to be named John. Nope, it has always affectionately been "Robert Jack". So I learned something long after Myrna has passed away. I can't believe she never told me.
But then Bobby Jack said that he had checked his birth certificate for official documentation. Yep, it said Robert Jack, the fourth child born to Myrna and Charles. Huh? I only knew two children born to Myrna. The certificate said four. My Dad (Bucky) was the oldest and he had one brother, Bob.
The mystery is that I never knew of any other children born to Myrna. Believe me, I spent lots of time with her and she never mention other kids. I guess the birth certificate of Bob's could be wrong. Bob's guess is that Myrna's first two pregnancies ended up with the babies dying at birth. That would mean my Dad was the third child born to Myrna.
What does all this mean? Not much! We all have lives that are intertwined with meaningful events. Some events get shared with loved ones and some events are allowed to fade into history. It is interesting to note that I might have two "shirt-tail" relatives in Canada and I had two Uncles (or Aunts) that died at birth. Go figure. I wonder how many other mysteries have been kept from me!
Love,
Dad