I've never thought about it when I was younger, but one day as I became older I started thinking about it. I began thinking about those family members which came before me. All those ancestors who I never saw or knew as they had come and gone long before I or even my own parents and grandparents existed. What were they like, what were their mannerisms and little quirks? I also began to wondering about this after I went to visit my ailing godmother and godfather who I hadn't seen in some time. My godfather came to the door, not recognizing me at first, then suddenly swinging the door open and telling me to "Get in here!" even before I could utter another word. I asked how he knew how I was and he simply said, "You shrug your shoulders the same way your father does." I never thought about it, and honestly, I wouldn't say that I had excessive exposure to my father either which might have caused me to pick this up. He worked very hard long hours in the steel mill, often double shifts six days a week. He was often home while we were at school, or came home after we had gone to bed and left shortly after we had left for school. Only when there were periods where they laid off temporarily did we see him any substantial amount. So, I find it quite odd that I picked up that mannerism, but have since noticed that some people seem to have traits that their parents might have had, even though they never knew them. Could it be that somethings about our behavior are also genetic, or were they somehow picked up while we were yet waiting to be born, even when we couldn't see those things? Anyway, I believe I will see those ancestors again, and wonder if they'll know who I am(or I, them) by some mannerism and long faded physical trait that has been altered by generations passed. Will we be surprised by what we see in each other, will we recognize interests or strengths and weaknesses in each other and others in the family chain? Will we be able to compare our respective life and times and say we'd have handled things the same way? Will I met another predecessor and find that they too shrug their shoulders the same way too? Most of all, will they marvel at where the family has gone, what we have accomplished and overcome in life? I'm not in too much of a rush to find out, but I sure am curious to know. Thanks for stopping in and taking the time to read the long posting tonight. Hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July tomorrow.