Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

I spoke German as a pre-schooler.  Dad was in the Army in Bremen and Bremerhaven, Germany, and mom, my two brothers and I lived there with him during

his two-year assignment.  Mom said we learned "low German" from the maids.  Then we moved back to the States and I hardly ever heard German again.

In college (the first time), I studied French and Spanish - at the same time.  If I had stayed in college any longer, I probably would have majored in languages.  I read later that a child exposed to any foreign language will develop a facility for learning a second language.

As of last night, I'm mentally jumping up and down for joy!  Last night I found out, through ancestry.com, that my great-great grandfather was actually born in Bavaria, Germany!  My grandmother had told us that our family came from "The Black Forest of Germany" and this proves she was right!   Jump, jump, jump!

My brother, Don, and I were thinking about a trip to Germany in 2015.  Hopefully by then, I will have more specific information as to from what towns or villages the relatives originated.

I've decided: I need to learn how to speak German again!  There is a languages school somewhere in the United States that, in a period of six to eight weeks, will give a person near-native fluency in a particular language.  Trouble is, it's for missionaries, Peace Corps volunteers, and foreign diplomats.  I don't fit into those categories!  There's also an expensive program of computer discs.  I heard that they're very good for speaking a language but I want to know how to read German also.  The best option would be to find a course in town; so, I'll start looking!

www.ancestry.com cannot be highly enough recommended by me!  It not only has billions of records, it helps you trace your family tree and gives lots of hints to follow.  The very first hint and document I printed from the website's "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957" was a copy of the ship's register when our family returned from Bremerhaven, Germany to  New York, N.Y. on the "USAT Henry Gibbons."  This is interesting: my mother had listed under luggage, "5 suitcases, 1 hatbox, 1 valpak and 1 make up box."  Under the children were "none."

Last night I also printed out a photograph of my great-grandfather's grave marker but, as of yet, I don't know in which cemetery he was buried.  I have his death certificate (from 1905), but the information is very faint.  More challenges!

My beloved Cuckoo Clock, bought at the German Pavilion in Disney's EPCOT 2 years ago.  Perhaps I can go to Germany next year and find lots more!!

Lord, thank you for our families, our parents and our siblings, our spouses and our children!  For better or worse, we love them all, like you love us!