It was a few months ago... I had been up to my elbows in genealogy research. My cousin Cynthia Wilkerson & I had been e-chatting back and forth about our great grandfathers who were brothers and Confederate soldiers in the NC 58th Regiment. Additionally, in an effort try to bring myself back to that place and time, I had watched a Civil War era movie earlier that day called The Free State of Jones. When you dig deeply into your family history, you begin to feel like you actually "know" these ancestors. You call them by first names; "Raburn," "William," "Kate," "Isaac," "Betsy." Despite having passed away long before we were born, they feel alive in our minds and in our spirits.
On this particular night, I went up to our room to get ready to go to sleep. I put on the TV, clicked the remote to channel 5, and waited for the local news to end before The Big Bang Theory came on. Most people reading this are probably familiar with the show. But for those who are unfamiliar, The Big Bang Theory is a highly acclaimed sitcom revolving around the lives of 6 geeky scientists and one common sense-filled waitress. At the beginning of each episode, the theme song plays amidst a series of approximately 110 fast-paced images that appear to tell the story of the universe. The pace increases as they flash through the image series. If you tried to pick an image and intentionally stop on it, I you would be hard pressed to do so.
Actually - here is a Youtube video that will bring you to the opening of Big Bang Theory. Take a look; pick out an image, and see if you can stop on it. Not so easy, is it?
So it was on this particular night, that I paused the introduction with the TV remote to get up to get a tissue. When I looked at the screen, I was truly amazed by the image that I saw!
The image captured on the TV screen was that of an amputation that occurred during the Civil War. It was probably very similar to something William and Raburn had witnessed during their time in the NC 58th Regiment. And perhaps it was something that William even experienced himself after being wounded in the Battle of Chickamauga.
Some would call it a coincidence. Others might call it a God wink. I like how Cynthia referred to this occurrence when I shared it with her. She said it was "like our ancestors used to say, "Hey God, can You wave at my family please. Let 'em know we are still all connected..."" I like to believe that the materialization of this particular photo was truly our ancestors waving back at me. I like to believe that they were saying "Hey, granddaughter, we are waving at you... and we will always be connected!"
On this particular night, I went up to our room to get ready to go to sleep. I put on the TV, clicked the remote to channel 5, and waited for the local news to end before The Big Bang Theory came on. Most people reading this are probably familiar with the show. But for those who are unfamiliar, The Big Bang Theory is a highly acclaimed sitcom revolving around the lives of 6 geeky scientists and one common sense-filled waitress. At the beginning of each episode, the theme song plays amidst a series of approximately 110 fast-paced images that appear to tell the story of the universe. The pace increases as they flash through the image series. If you tried to pick an image and intentionally stop on it, I you would be hard pressed to do so.
Actually - here is a Youtube video that will bring you to the opening of Big Bang Theory. Take a look; pick out an image, and see if you can stop on it. Not so easy, is it?
So it was on this particular night, that I paused the introduction with the TV remote to get up to get a tissue. When I looked at the screen, I was truly amazed by the image that I saw!
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| Civil War Amputation |
Some would call it a coincidence. Others might call it a God wink. I like how Cynthia referred to this occurrence when I shared it with her. She said it was "like our ancestors used to say, "Hey God, can You wave at my family please. Let 'em know we are still all connected..."" I like to believe that the materialization of this particular photo was truly our ancestors waving back at me. I like to believe that they were saying "Hey, granddaughter, we are waving at you... and we will always be connected!"
DONNA, I AM LOVING EVERY WORD OF YOUR D9CUMENTARY BLOGS. CAN T WAIT TO GET THE CONNECTIONS AND LINKS UP TO YOUR POSTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO THE PEOPLE WHO GOT US HERE. And yes, William may have suffered this surgery on his leg. I visited a hospital museum in the area where men like William definitely experienced amputations. The blood stains still appear in the boards today. It's about time, I got back to the story. Soon. These posts are blessing me to the core.
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