This One's for You, Karah!



Bill and Karah



In the previous post I commented about how difficult it is to include every family member in the blog.  (Isn't this blog supposed to focus on ancestors?  The dead people never complain).  At any rate, after doing my best to include everyone, my niece Karah, posted a "tweet" that asked what she had to do to be featured on the blog.  (She's not the first -- my cousin, Tony Scardina, has even given me suggestions for topics that would include him.  On the Jones side of the family, Rose is the first-born and Tony is the last-born of the cousins.  He thought a post on "bookends" might be a great topic).

Karah wondered as to whether or not she would need to either get married or have a baby to make the cut.  Well, I've always felt bad about family members who have birthdays within two weeks of Christmas -- you just know they got a bum deal growing up.  In my family, at the risk of accidentally not remembering someone who qualifies for this unfortunate designation, I have to include Rian, Linda, Jeanne, Patty, Sarah, Karah, and Tim.  (Let me know if I forgot to list you and I'll edit this).  At any rate, our foremothers and forefathers really seemed to enjoy spring.

Since I can't do a post on everyone, I'm writing one for Karah -- she'll just have to represent the group.  Karah is 29 years old today -- that great time in everyone's life where you've gained the confidence to be comfortable in your own skin.  That's Karah! All is well in her young life and she promises to start writing about herself on a blog called Karahon5th.  Karah lives in a condo on 5th Street in downtown Cincinnati and is living the life of a young, single urban professional.  In hindsight, what I wouldn't have given for an experience like that.

So my sister-in-law, Linda, provided me with a lot of pictures of Karah growing up.  For those of you who read the Christmas letters posted by my brother, Tom, Karah is his youngest daughter.

We happen to have in our possession a copy of a recording my mother and other family members made to send to my sister in Miami, Karen, for her birthday.  They began the tape on January 1st, 1988  -- 24 years ago.  How I love hearing my mother's voice.  The Joneses do more than sing "Happy Birthday, " adding a few additional songs at the end.  On this 1988 recording, I was able to edit the tape and capture the family singing to Karah -- a few days after her 5th birthday.  I put it together with a "photoshow" that you can see by clicking on this link. Note: You won't hear the family singing until the second half of the show.  Maybe that's a blessing.

Karah -- I'm sure I join in with the rest of the family in wishing you a wonderful birthday with many more to come.

Aunt Kath