Just returned last night from 3 days in beautiful Montana--Paradise Valley accurately named. Lots of fun with cousins and two elderly aunts who may not be around for the next Shadoan reunion. We cousins, the next generation, will need to decide if and how we want to continue the connections. With the social networking sites and other electronic media making communication so much easier--if we use it--and the next generations feeling very little loyalty to our generation and the generations before, we may have to discover a new way of maintaining our family identity.
Our reunion was abruptly and violently cut short right after we all got our plates filled in the pot luck lunch. A windstorm like I've never experienced before hit us, and people grabbed the tent poles trying to keep the tents from collapsing. It was so strong that it bent the aluminum frames and would have collapsed on the various occupants if we hadn't been able to get out in time. And then the rain hit, hard, torrential rain. Very rare in Livingston, Montana, and certainly unusual to have wind and rain like this in a Montana summer storm! The tables holding the food collapsed and mothers had to grab their little ones to keep them from being blown away. We all retreated to our cars and sat, soaking wet, until the rain let up enough for us to even drive away. My, my, an unforgettable reunion!
I appreciate my Shadoan pioneer family. They first came from France, arriving in Virginia in 1750. David and I visited the area when we were in Richmond a few years ago. Then they spread into Pulaski and Green Counties in Kentucky, from which my grandparents went to Montana after the turn of the century. They are good people and the (now) very large family--probably 300 or more descendants--has been very much blessed by God. Very few tragedies in the more than 100 years since John and Retta Shadoan set up housekeeping at a sawmill near Clyde Park, Montana.
I have to add that it is very exciting to see how the Spirit of Elijah has worked in this family to turn their hearts to their fathers and motivate them to do family history work among the living descendants. In the past there has been significant hostility toward the Church from these devoutly Christian people, who are exemplary in their service to the Lord. When the time is right, probably on the other side of the veil, they will see how they have participated in the important sealing work of eternal families. I know my mother has been very busy on the other side. This Shadoan family history was her passion in the last years of her life, and she could see little progress on this side of the veil. She has now been joined by most of her generation of Shadoans, and many other family members have been sealed just in the last couple of years through work that my sweet David did.
Last time we went to the Louisville Temple, the woman next to me was doing work for someone with the last name Chaudoin. I told her that she was probably a distant relative of mine and that our family has changed it to Shadoan, and I told her how to pronounce it. Pretty cool, huh?
ReplyDeleteI wish I could've gone to the reunion with you. I miss being able to go up to Montana (well, the good part of the state).
Sounds like the crazy storm we had a few weeks ago!
P.S. I love the new background!
ReplyDeleteHey, that is very cool!! I wonder if names are sent to the temples closest to their geographic area to be done? David had so many that we turned them in to the temple rather than try to have family do them.
ReplyDeleteYes, this storm must have been like yours. I thought about it at the time! Not too fun, especially to be out in it in a top-only tent! But very exciting. The adrenalin was surging!!