Mum's Day

I had a mother.

My mother had a mother.

My grandmother had a mother.

And, she had a mother.

This could go on for several pages.

It is something I have never thought about until I started doing the 23 & Me / Ancestry dot com.

How many mothers have their been before "I had a mother?"

Now figure this out.  A mother didn't appear out of nowhere (depending upon your belief system with Adam and Eve).  Science has shown we evolved down to where we are.  According to 23 & Me, I have some Neanderthal in my background - so does my wife.  So Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals messed around together - or they were fighting and doing all that sorta thing victorious victors (cute) do after they conquer another group of the less-victorious.  I realize, none of this need be said.  If you, the reader, have half a brain, you knew this merely by watching certain shows on TV.

But way back there, you had a pre-mother.   She was either a Homo Sapiens having a Neanderthals kid, or a Neanderthal lady having a Homo Sapiens' kid.  That is how it works.

Reading in my Archaeology magazine, I read where they found a Neanderthal's cave in which the "N(s)" were cooking their own vegetables in pots.  They dated it to over 3500 years ago.  Really.  3500 years ago.  I don't know if it is more impressive that they had pots and cooked 3500 years ago  - or - it is more impressive that someone figured out how to measure the time.  Or was it 35,000 years ago?  That may be it.  I need to re-read the article.   I really think 35000 is a more correct number.

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In my own family, my parents were born in 1910.  I appeared in 1940.  My youngest was born in 1970.  I'm thinking he had a child about 2000.  This shows to be 3 generations in 100 years.  Sure, several years back, people married when they were about 13 to 15 years old giving their people about 5 generations per hundred years. Now - figure - 5 generations in 100 yrs.  That would be 50 generations in 1000 years.  That number may be a bit high.   So multiply 50 times 3500 years =  175,000 ancestors -- or 175,000 mothers.

Even if I am off several thousand mothers in 3500 years - folks, that is a lot of moms who were born, matured, married ( or attacked ), and bred a female who - - you got it.  Those moms had to live, eat, have kids, and survive long enough to create another cycle.  Mind boggling to me.

What if that number were 35,000 years ago.

Some were lucky enough to survive the pimples, plaque, measles, mumps, COVID, etc.

AND   HERE   YOU   ARE.         ANOTHER CYCLE RUNNING.

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Related, but unrelated:  If the Heaven thing works like they say, we'll all be together once again.  You walk through the gates to greet your mother once again - And, standing behind her, as my daughter Christine commented, behind her in a line -----  175,000 grandmothers waiting to greet you - each one tweaking your cheek and commenting upon your cuteness.   175,000 hugs going through the gate.

As a side note:  that would be several thousand grand uncles ready to rub your head and no telling how many grandfathers spitting tobacco juice.  Probably many of the grandfathers didn't make it through the gates since they were off pillaging and messing with Neanderthal females.  There are rules about getting through the Heavenly gates you know.

We move on.

Happy Mother's Day to my wife.  Today, we cook meatloaf for lunch - her favorite.

And a Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Sara Leanna Smith Metze - waiting in that long line beyond the gates.  

I would be remiss to not mention my wife's mother Josephine Macha Cooper - one of the finest cooks, baker, housewife, and mom -- 

later,

M3