I got an e-mail out of the blue asking if I was related to one Hyatt Moore who had been married late in life to the inquirer’s great-grandmother. She said she’d been doing some family research and happened upon the connection. A quick Internet search and she found me.
As the number of people on the earth with that name is limited (five that I know of—and all in a line) her research was quickly rewarded. It began an interesting exchange of sparse information and a few old photographs. It had been a second marriage for both of them, and hardly remembered two generations later.
If the inquirer had waited another generation, she would have received no information at all.
There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.*
That’s how it is.
The memory of me and the memory of you will last about two generations and that’s it. Even then, it’ll be only a name and a few facts, and those the mundane ones.
All the good stuff, about what an interesting person I was, what I thought about, the challenges I overcame, my glorious resume of jobs, the influence, the friends, the books, the travels, my unique tastes, the symbols of various successes and interests and everything else will all be just the stuff of dust. And the same with you.
My grandfather was a railroad conductor, had seven children, and struggled to make it for a time as a homesteader in the wilds of Wyoming. That’s about all I know.
About his father, I know nothing.
Some people can go back farther, and some people make a study of it. But it’s pretty normal that before long, it’s gone.
. . .
Remember Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss? Yertle wanted to be king of all he saw so he gathered all the turtles he could—first nine, then 5607—and got them all stacked up under him so he could see (and be king of) more. Finally, Mack, the turtle at the bottom broke (actually burped) and all came tumbling down. There is a point, maybe numerous, but mine is that in all those turtles only two are named, Yertle and Mack.
There’s me, Yertle—the central figure in my own story—and there’s Mack, some ancestor way back there generations ago. All the rest are nameless, and only sort of important for bringing me to my place at center stage.
Sounds a bit ego-centric, but don’t worry—that’ll go too. Soon enough each of us will be one of the nameless turtles teetering in the middle of somebody else’s stack.
No wonder our Ecclesiastes writing turtle ancestor wrapped it up with, “Meaningless, meaningless.”
Except at the end, he said: “Fear God . . . for He will bring every deed into judgment, large or small . . . **
It’s a comforting thought that at least we’ll be remembered by “Somebody.”
I’m trusting, by grace, He’ll overlook a lot.
_______________________
*Ecc. 1:11
**Ecc. 12:13,14
Next: e-gallery–New paintings and prints. Coming Tuesday.
Our Lives Together
Its About Life
8:41 am
My appearance on the planet is a blip on the radar screen of eternity. I play a supporting role in a timeless documentary. It’s all about Jesus. It’s HIStory…not mine. He already got the Oscar. Jesus is the author, editor and the only name mentioned in the credits. Makes me happy doing what I can to play the part He’s given me. Applause doesn’t mean didly if it doesn’t come from Jesus.
8:46 am
One summer when I was a kid at Bible Camp Dr. Solem gave talks at night up on a hill called Ebenezer. Later he wrote this in my autograph book:
A word from the hilltop looking up: “They that are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to rightesousness, as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3
8:47 am
Wow! That puts a lot in perspective for me. Gee, some days I don’t even remember why I got up. Here’s a poem that sort of relates:
Bloodlines
Blood is thicker than water, the saying goes
Family ties stay thick, friendships not as much
But today my blood tested too thin
My INR (INR: International Normalized Ratio) count was 3.8 on the machine that measures such bloody things
I need to be between 2.0 and 3.0
What does it all mean? Has my blood thinner medication failed? Not enough Vitamin K in my diet?
My parents are deceased; my brother, too
My cousin Paul is gone, another cousin Norman, a lawyer in New Jersey, is legally alive but emotionally dead
Aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, no, sorry, these relational titles don’t ring a bell or the phone
So no wonder my blood is thin
There’s not a lot of plot or clot connecting family and me
People with thin blood and no family ties bleed and bruise more easily than others
They don’t tell you that on Ancestry.com
9:28 am
Really Hyatt……How profound….well said and hits the nail on the head (so to speak).
How long have you been thinking about this one……? Did it just pop into you mind ?
You are so amazing.
9:50 am
Oh my goodness Hyatt…..what a thought for this gloomy Saturday morning. This is so true. However, it’s kind of sad, but reality. You are right on the mark. The ONLY GREAT THING is, I believe as you do, that our HEAVENLY FATHER will ALWAYS LOVE US MORE THAN ANYONE AND REMEMBER EACH ONE OF US FOR ETERNITY. What could be more consoling?
10:31 am
My uncle died last week….his funeral was Thursday. It is so true Hyatt. I remember his dad, my grandpa, because he lived with us off and on when I was 10-12, but no other relatives from that generation. Of all the kids and grand kids in the room at the funeral reception, I vaguely knew a few names other than my aunt and cousins.
Life is fleeting, but it makes me want my life to count even if no one will remember me, because what I do matters and affects those around me even if they don’t acknowledge it in the here and now. God keeps an account and I look forward to reviewing the reruns in heaven, where I believe He will make sense if it all.
10:49 am
Great word picture Hyatt. That makes me seriously think twice about my choices today and those that follow. When we put all of our daily actions in perspective, what we do echos in timeless memory only with our Lord, and only He is the one that will be the final judge, my eyes and thoughts must be solely on what I should do for Him. Otherwise….meaningless, meaningless. Love the way you paint your thoughts with words.
1:43 pm
Well this is exactly why I always felt a little disconnect with people who talk so much about leaving a legacy. I understand that it’s a nice thought but in the end I agree with Carmen, all that really matters is what I did for God in this life. That’s all that will really last as you said, “everything else will all be just the stuff of dust,” and if I put too much time and effort into leaving some kind of a great legacy, I might miss some of things that the Father wanted me to do. I’d miss them because they didn’t seem big enough for my legacy building at the time. For as long as it lasts, I want my legacy to be, “Tim lived his life for God.” Thanks Hyatt, this does help with those guilty thoughts that sometimes creep up and tell me that I’m not doing enough to leave a legacy….I don’t need to!
2:17 pm
Hyatt, I loved this one. When I read your words, it’s as if we’re sitting across from each other at the Harbor House. You actually write like you talk. Who cares who remembers what, as long as we’re attending the marriage supper of the lamb? What a good word for “this gloomy Saturday morning.” Great follow up comments, as well- I have been struggling with getting my head around work for the past few days- sometimes wanting it to mean more than it does, sometimes worried what it doesn’t mean, all the time worried, if it went away. Solomon was right, seems trivial, to be lost in such thoughts.
4:11 pm
I think we all have a need for significance. To feel like we matter. Sometimes we have the wrong notion that it means we need to achieve a measure of fame. What you have written is a dose of Ecclesiastical reality check. :) A good reminder that what matters is our being fully immersed in life, in loving God and others… and in this we find significance, no matter how hidden we are, or how revealed.
4:21 pm
Hhmmmmmmmm… While I understand why The Preacher says this, yet I don’t buy it entirely. There are “living” factors that do affect remembrance.
E.g., Hyatt, you will e remembered long after you’re gone because of the lasting nature of your art…
I have vivid memories of my father, not only for the things he made/did for us, but because I was involved with his life & know the character of the man who called hiumself my dad–eventho’ he went to glory over 30 years ago!
And, I hope that, while “we” may or may not be remembered per se’, I believe that the way we lived our lives & what we passed on to others will endure, even if only in the minds of a few.
To me, to remove these factors from our life would tend to drastically diminish our purpose for living. After all, if we are truly glorifying the Father in who we are & what we do, surely some of this will remain… at least for a while.
6:36 pm
It seems to me that I’ve faced this factoid many times. And then I forget that I did and get caught up, only to come around to face it once again. So thank you, Hyatt, as always. Meanwhile, your post makes it an all the more poignant memory of mine that one time when I was asked what animal I might like to be, I chose a turtle.
8:27 pm
It’s actually a relief to recognize this truth. Less time wasted on worrying about being important and more time spent on enjoying the life we get to live.
7:26 am
Hyatt,
Much to think about. I’ve been turning these thoughts around in my mind mostof the night. I have to disagree just a bit….I think there is an emotional DNA, in essence, that is passed from father to son, from mother to daughter, to grandchild. The stories may fade from memory, but the love, the kindness, the ethos— it travels forward into time with the generations. Unfortunately the corollary is true as well: the emotional distance, detachment, anger pass as well. The joy in learning the facts about those that have trod the earth before you, is in the threads they weave in helping you understand a tiny bit more about that emotional DNA you carry.
Ultimately we are but tiny star of light in a vast universe, but I believe we leave an emotional trace behind us, a butterfly effect if you will. I try to remember that every day. In a way, isn’t that truly doing God’s work? In a way, Hyatt, that is what you are doing with you work? Leaving a wonderful shooting star trace across the universe?
Ah Serendipity. Thank you Hyatt Moore.
Best,
Stephanie
10:32 am
Two thoughts on you interesting remember and remember not – I recall my grandfather as clearly 6 decades later as clearly as if I were there, but when I am gone, no one will recall him as the character he was or even care except as a name in the family Bible and a few pictures from before I came on this planet.
But what is beyond wonderful is that when we are united with HIM, our “forgotten” family members will be there to remember again.
9:54 am
So true. Still, it was a wonderful thing when our childless widower Uncle Angelo, 83, decided to have a reunion of the ‘cousins’ since all the aunts and uncles were no more. The response was joyous and created a mass of relearning family culture…organizing more reunions and group emails. Our strong Greek heritage and travel plans are opening up the culture we choose to pass on to our children. Yes, no matter how strong those ties are, someday it will all fade because “that’s the way it is” as said by Hyatt(and Hugh Jackson in the film ‘Australia’, referring to the Aboriginal culture.) We are still in touch with family in Greece retelling stories we don’t likely forget, so perhaps we are turtles that don’t run so fast after all.