A light shining for two years... and more!

That is my hope for this humble little blog about the Boston-Irish side of my family tree. Begun two years ago tomorrow, it has been and continues to be the "shy younger sibling" to my other two more active and better known blogs 100 Years in America and Small-leaved Shamrock.

A heartfelt thanks to all of those that have read, commented, offered assistance in my research, or otherwise supported my efforts here at A light that shines again. The humble, long-suffering lives of my famine-immigrant, hard-working Boston Irish laborer ancestors have begun to be memorialized here, where I hope their stories will provide inspiration to those of us that live today in better and more hopeful times.

I truly believe the poetic words written by Christopher Pearce Cranch that I've included on the banner above which provided inspiration for the title of this blog:

"Yet not in vain,
Fathers and mothers, were your humble lives;
Each in its turn an influence that survives,
A light that shines again
In sacred memories, and in hearths and homes,
Vital as greater names that gild historic tomes…”

Taking the time to learn about the lives of my ancestors, particularly those that may not have been valued so much by the world around them at the time that they lived, has given me new insight into my own life and times. I am aware that, no matter how homely and "common" they were, these family members who came before me have passed on to me a great gift, and I hope to remember their humble lives and share their stories for many years to come.

As George Bernard Shaw stated,

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one... I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations."

Please join with me in celebrating two years of A light that shines again! If you'd like to read some of my favorite articles within this blog, take some time to stop by The best of 2008: A light that shines again - iGene Awards or this blog's one-year-anniversary wrap-up: Happy Anniversary, A light that shines again! You might also enjoy stopping by the two-year-anniversary celebrations over at 100 Years in America and Small-leaved Shamrock.