I have loved French and it's culture since I was 7 years old. I first saw and heard it through puppet shows on pbs. I could never figure out why I was such a francophile, but I am! My name is Janeen which sounds absolutely elegant when pronounced with a French accent. My aunt, Vicky, always said I looked like a little French girl as a child with my bobbed cut hair and large brown eyes. For whatever reason the country of France, it's legends, history and art have always called to me. Last night, I may have found out why....
I had found ONE French ancestor in my genealogy. Before that, I had felt a definite pull towards all things French and Jewish, hence the title of this blog. It's a mantra that helps define who I am, even though that is an ongoing journey for each individual. I know that the DNA I possess is a specific blend of hundreds of generations of individuals whose personal character traits have been passed on to me. Some are grand. Others I could do without. Yet I realize that I would not be the person that I am without the challenges that I've faced and that my family and friends have helped me through. That being said, I think my genetics plays a big part of the united effort with my spirit on this Earth.
So, last night on Facebook I threw out the challenge to my George (Mom's) family members to find out who our ONE French ancestor was. Then I was ashamed that I asked them to do what I had not. I had looked casually in familysearch.org, but found nothing. Last night, I made a concerted effort, starting with my grandfather's ancestry and carefully recording and searching each male and female line. Nothing. I had been sure it was Grandpa's line that contained the French. It was not! It was Grandma's!
Fleddaldua Flaald deStenescal of Dol Debretagne, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France was born 1046 and passed away 1084 (LHVM-MLN). Wahoo! Pay dirt! That's not all...we have LEGIONS of French ancestry, most of them from Bretagne. Some of it royal, but all that matters is that it's mine! I'm not nuts (okay, that may still be up for debate)! I CAN learn this language! I can survive and contribute to this culture in a meaningful way because it is MINE!
I have no computer printer here. I can't wait to find a Distribution Center and get empty pages to fill out to show my ward members and our friends at the crepe store that we are a part of them! They have all been incredibly welcoming, but now we SHARE a heritage!
I discovered that most of the rest of my ancestry (Mom's side) is of British descent. I was so stoked that at 11:00 pm I began looking up Randy's genealogy. He is mostly British with almost half of that Scottish ancestry! It didn't take long (once I had a system in place) to find several French lines in Randy's genealogy as well! Robert Bruce or deBrus was born 1050 in the Normandy Region of France. He passed away 1094, place of death was not listed (LHD4-79N). Perhaps this explains why Randy felt so comfortable when we came to Paris two years ago. Nearly all of his ancestors are from Normandy. We had already planned an excursion to the WWII memorial there. What a treat to know that we will be traveling through and standing on the same soil as Randy's ancestors!
We have both really struggled with the language. It's one thing to know enough to get through six days of touring and another to actually live and be expected to speak the language. I have an always increasing awe of missionaries and others who have achieved fluency in a foreign language! Randy's way of overcoming that difficulty is to study harder. Mine has been to try music. Rhythms have always helped to calm me and to open my mind.
I am listening to my French CD of Primary Songs as I write. Some days, when my brain is just overloaded with Rosetta Stone and conversation on the street, it is my calming balm. The songs where the children sing makes my heart soar. I love it! Right now it's Follow the Prophet! I would like my grandchildren to listen to their CDs at home, listen to that song and know that children just like you are listening to and singing that same song all over the world in a variety of languages. And they are working hard just as we all are in our family to Choisir le Bien (Choose the Good). I hope you are all wearing your CLB rings!
A Child's Prayer is priceless. If you can find it on the internet to hear it, do so at once! It is equally powerful in French as in English. ;o) Well, that's all my blathering for the day. Vous avez bon jour! Je t'aimerais tousjours!
"Breaking News": Randy has been growing the French Grizzle (beard) for two weeks and felt like an old man. I just thought, "we are old, that's life," and that it made him look very French. He still didn't like it. He just came in to show me his new goatee (I had no idea he was primping in the mirror while I was writing). It really looks GREAT! I think he's found his niche!
Bretagne (Brittany)--dear to my heart because that is where Laetitia lives. I have two grandaughters named Annick after her sweet mother. I have pried winkles from the rocks at the Beach in that beautiful area. Hmmm..if I recall correctly, the origins of the people there are a bit different from the bulk of the French, though at the moment I cannot recall how.
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