Daddy's First Curl...

   Recently I came across a small brown packet and inside found two slightly discolored pieces of lined paper folded up and a rusty straight pin through them.  I opened the first with anticipation and inside found the words, 'William's first curl' and what a lovely blond little curl it was.  My memory, refreshed by the sight of it, remembered I had seen this years before but forgot about it.  There was still one more very small little memento and my fingers, carefully but somewhat clumsily, took out the rusted pin. There was a 'fussy' small piece of baby hair again belonging to baby 'William.'

   Who was this 'William Frazier Morse Jr.', that I was so thrilled to find his little curl and baby hair?  He was 'my' daddy! Mattie and William Sr. thought their family was complete with three boys about 12,10, 8 and a little girl, 3 yrs. old.  Mid life, however, can bring about unexpected 'blessings' and daddy was born November 11, 1906 when his sister was 18 yrs. old! My Grandma was 52....

    Mattie Whipple Morse and William Sr. lived on a farm in E. Troy, Penn. I have a photo of my father rolling a 'hoop' out in a field. Gram pa raised sheep and daddy would never eat lamb when I was growing up as he had too much when on the farm.  He told me of raising onions to buy himself a bicycle and enjoyed his rides with his faithful dog, 'Shep.'

    Just out of his teens, he decided that he wanted to visit his youngest brother, David, who lived in Dundee, Michigan. His visit turned into deciding to 'live' there in Michigan where he worked on his brother's farm and then got various other jobs.  Viola Mae Gray  captured his heart on a 'blind' date and they married after only dating 2 mo. at the Justice of the Peace in Bowling Green, Ohio. They had eloped with mama's sister, Hazel, and her husband. Mama was 23 and daddy 28.

   Stay tuned for the rest of 'My Story'.  My friend, Rita, and my children encouraged me to make this more of a legacy blog as my life has taken so many twists and turns. I don't have my grandchildren nearby to make a weekly blog around them interesting.  So, with air forms and letters, written to our parents from overseas on onion skin paper, I now have a 'huge' JOURNAL of my life from 1965-2010. My desire is to wade through the events and dear people God brought into my life over those years and document 'my journey I took with God at my side...leading all the way.  I will be so happy to have you join me in this adventure....

Philippians 4:13