Dear Great-Great-Great Grandchild,
I have done a vast amount of research into our family history and if you have come across this article, chances are you are researching too. By the time you read this I could have hundreds of descendants that I have never met, but I pray that the life lessons I am teaching my children today are being maintained through the generations and have been passed on to you.
It’s hard for me to imagine the world where you live. I wonder things like, what mode of transportation do you use and with what do you fuel it? Is the United States still on the map? Is California still attached?
Did all my aluminum can recycling really make a difference? Did the whales survive? Have you ever had an ice cream cone or are Dippin’ Dots really the ice cream of the future?
Do you have a computer chip of some sort implanted anywhere on your body? Are families with a father and a mother still considered traditional? Have you ever heard of Elvis? Are all of your clothes metallic and form-fitting?
If you go back and read the headlines from today you will see that the media likes to portray everything as a crisis, and would have us believe that the future is pretty bleak. I don’t think it’s really all that bad. Granted, it costs your grandfather around $12.00 per day to drive to work and back. That probably doesn’t seem like much to you, but it is putting a major strain on our finances. That’s why there is no family fortune for you to inherit.
I can’t say I’m thrilled with either of our presidential candidates this election. If John McCain wins he will probably be a name that is vaguely familiar, but not very significant. Kind of like Grover Cleveland. However, if Barack Obama wins, that should take up a couple of paragraphs in your history book because he will be the first African-American president. Do you still say African-American or has that become outdated terminology? Hopefully, in your world, we are all just known as Americans. Plain and simple. Maybe there won’t be a need to specify Asian-American, African-American, Native American, etc. But if it’s important to know, your background is European-American.
By the time you read this, we will know if global warming really was anything to worry about or not. I’m going to go with not, but if you’re sitting in Hawaii wearing a parka then I was totally wrong. Sorry about that!
Is English still our primary language? Just in case it’s not, I had this paragraph translated. Read it in a really loud voice.
Si usted nunca ha sido a la iglesia entonces alguien no ha hecho su trabajo directamente en el levantamiento de mis descendientes. Sus antepasados son Bautista y Cu quero. Usted no tiene que ser Bautista o Cu quero, pero usted tiene que ser “realmente nacido otra vez.” Encuentre alguien que sabe lo que esto significa y hacer que ellos se lo expliquen inmediatamente!
Once you’ve got that settled, here are some other matters of importance. Have a sense of humor. Life is much more enjoyable if you learn to laugh at yourself and find the absurdity in situations. And be thankful. No matter how bad you think you have it, it really could be worse. I know that’s not very encouraging, but if you can learn to be thankful in even the smallest matters, and take the focus off of yourself by reaching out to others, you will find greater joy in life.
Be faithful to your spouse. Appreciate, love, and cater to them. Remember, it is okay to be the first one to give in. And take time to enjoy your children. Believe me, time will go by faster than you can imagine.
Also, it might be good to know that your great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother, Sarah Harrison Lumpkin, is buried in Howard Cemetery outside of Fayette. If things haven’t changed too much you will also find several members of our family in the Zionsville cemetery and in St. Malachy in Brownsburg. I think I’m buried with your grandpa’s family in Thorntown, but as of this writing, that has yet to be determined.
If time travel has actually become possible, feel free to stop in anytime. If you have to choose between traveling through time and a vacation to the moon, I completely understand if you choose the moon.
With Love,
Great-Great-Great Abuela Truitt
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