52 Ancestors – 52 Weeks

This week Amy Crow Johnson challenges her Facebook members to write about “air.” When I think of air being part of my genealogy research I immediately think of my mother. I grew up on a farm with three younger siblings. Of course, there was a lot of noise in a house with four children ages six to newborn.

When mother wanted a breather from the noise and commotion she would tell us to go out and “get some air.” One of our favorite ways to get some air was to swing. Dad put a swing with a wooden seat in a tree not far from the house. The nice thing about the placing of the swing was that it was over patch of grass so we always had a soft landing.

We played on that swing many hours. We enjoyed it with our cousins and friends. Our biggest thrills on the swing were when dad or his hired hand Butch would give us a push. I remember going high in the air and felt the wind through my hair. Swinging was a time of delight and feeling of freedom. The word “whee” was our cry of delight.

My sister Jean and I have a special memory of that old swing. We were outside playing on the swing when dad came to us and said we had to go to grandma’s house. We did not know at the time, but our youngest brother was about to be born that day. To this day, swinging holds a special place in our hearts. And I always take advantage of any opportunity to swing!