Monday, February 25

Black History, Update on Michelle and Photos of Griffyn

Photo above is of black settlers in Elgin Country, Ontario.

Since I've had lots of comments on how much people are enjoying my tidbits of black history, I wanted to share a bit more with you today.

If a slave living in American was able to obtain freedom papers, either by self-purchase or by the generosity (?) of their owner, they considered those papers a treasure and guarded them for the rest of their lives. These people lived in constant fear that they would have to prove that they were free. The majority of slaves had to escape the clutches of their owners by running and were often hunted down by bounty hunters and slave catchers.

In 1850, the second American Fugitive Slave Act was passed. It caused African Americans to be highly at risk because it was possible for free and enslaved African Americans to be accused of being a runaway slave and no proof of slavery was needed. At this time a great exodus began. Approximatley 60,000 African Americans took the risk of fleeing for freedom and Canada was a safe haven.

Slaves followed rivers and military trails, weaving across the countryside to one safe house after another. They traveled mostly by night and used the North Star as their compass. They watched for signs that identified the safe houses. Still, each time they approached a house, they were fearful for their lives.

Many of these people arrived in Upper Canada, which is now known as Ontario and once here, claimed liberty to live and work here. They were also free to have their children educated - something that hadn't been possible in America.
The photo above is of rhe Marble Village Black School that was established in Ontario.

Former slaves did not live in Upper Canada without challenges. Slave and bounty hunters would often capture them and return them to the US. At times they were ostracized by the community. At other times they were extradited by government officials.

Black Canadians banded together to actively fight for their freedom. They established their own communities and built their own churches and schools. Life was hard and continued to be for many generations. These people were pioneers in their own right and deserve to be recognized for their contributions to Ontario history.

Photo of settlers courtesy of Archives of Ontario 10014677 - no restrictions on use.
Photo of the Marble Village School courtesy of Archives of Ontario 100024783 no restrictions on use.

I realize I've been AWOL. I usually post everyday, but wasn't feeling myself over the weekend and so didn't post yesterday. That is very unusual for me and then I didn't get time to post earlier today.

This morning I took Michelle to the GYN to have her staples removed. We were there around 10 am and she was out by 10:30. It was supposed to be in and out but when the nurse took the staples out, she realized that part of Michelle's incision was red. Her regular GYN wasn't available so they called one of the other doctor's in the practice in to have a look. He said there was a bit of infection and told her to wash it really well twice a day and to keep an eye on it. If it gets hard or the redness increases, she is to phone immediately. Otherwise she has to go back next Monday.

He did tell her that she can go up and downstairs now and do more things around the house as long as she doesn't tire herself out or lift anything. So I'm asking for prayers for Michelle that her infection doesn't worsen.

My niece, Melissa, was nice enough to come and stay with Michelle this week. She will be returning home on Friday morning. She has a little boy that will be 8 months old on February 28th and she is expecting another baby in August. I thought it was nice of her to come when she has her hands so full.

When Michelle and I got back to the house, I went in to visit Griffyn. I haven't seen him since Canadian Thanksgiving, which was in October. Melissa did send me some photos that I shared with my readers, but I wanted to take some of him while I had the opportunity. He is getting around really well. He is starting to stand up at furniture and make his way around the house. He's had several bumps and bruises while attempting to discover the world and get his land legs.
Above Griffyn is sitting by his Mom who is trying to get a bit of time on the computer. She had several toys on the highchair table, but his little arms and hands cleared them in two minutes flat.
He thinks he is a smart boy and he is. Look at that angelic face and those eyes that are sparkling with mischief.
He knows he's the center of attention and he loves it. He is clinging to his very last toy for dear life. All the rest are scattered across the living room floor.
I took him out of his highchair and played with him for a few minutes, then put him down on the floor. Michelle's dog kept trying to kiss him and Griffyn wasn't sure if he liked that. He does have a dog at home, but she is a more docile creature than Michelle's dog. A few minutes before this photo was taken, Griffyn had been checking out the vacuum in the background. Then he decided he wanted to come to me. I was standing on the six steps that go from the living room to the foyer. He started for me...
And he came really quickly. Look at that smile and the look of achievement. Notice the red cheeks that are caused from teething.

Melissa is really lucky. For the most part he is a really good baby. He entertains himself nicely and loves his Jolly Jumper. However, sleep is not in his vocabulary and he doesn't want it to be in Mom's either. He puts up quite a fuss when she tries to get him to sleep.

Do you enjoy giveaways. If so be sure to stop by and visit Garden Goose and find out how to join in on the fun. Click on the magazine cover to visit Small Town Living.

Well, that is all for today. Please leave a comment and I will do my best to catch up with all my friends tomorrow. ~Blessings, Mary~

21 comments:

  1. Oh Mary dear..I'll pray for Michelle, tell her to put Neosporin on her tummy too and
    keep it as clean as she can.
    UGH..if it's not one thing, it's another

    That lil Griffyn is a doll. so cute, looks happy and maybe a bit mischevious!!

    Glad you got to visit
    NOW TAKE CARE OF YOU

    I love ya honey.
    I'll pray for ALL of you
    deena

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have Michelle clean the incision area with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water. Be sure she calls the doctor if there is any change for the worse. Is the incision completely closed?

    That's one cute little boy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. so glad that Melissa is doing well after surgery...I will continue to pray for healing of her surgical site...
    Little Griffin is soooo very cute!!!
    your tale story about Black History is very interesting...
    even though I don't get to comment every day...I do visit you daily and love your blog...
    You are so talented with your artistic designs also...
    Blessings,
    Mimi

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good Morning Mary,
    I have been AWOL as well. I think it does us good sometimes to not blog everyday. Sorry your were not feeling to well over the weekend. I do hope you are feeling better today. Oh dear, I hate to hear that Michelle has an infection. I will be praying for her and that the infection clears up before her next appointment next Monday. Awwww, little Griffyn is just adorable. I remember our girls being that little. Our youngest daughter was the little dare devil of the Family. LOL. When she was learning to walk, she would have so many bruises on her. She was bad about falling or walking into things. I'm glad that Melissa is staying with Michelle and helping out with her. Glad you got to visit with her and that precious Griffyn. I enjoyed the part of the Black History. Some of it I didn't even know or had forgotten. LOL. As I get older, I tend to forget things more often. And it's been years since I was in School as well. I put up some Black History information on my today's post. I'm going to try and do it for the rest of the week. Take care my friend and have a great day. May God Bless You and Yours.

    Love & Hugs,
    Karen H.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh he's just so darling! I fell in love with him the first time I laid my eyes on his photos...and sure --HE deserves to be the attention getter. He's precious. Love his smile.

    Thanks for all you've done with the black history of the African Canadians this month...you KNOW I truly appreciate it all. And the fact you went out and picked up some historical photos from the archive even made your 'lessons and our learning more' all the better.

    Hope you'll soon be feeling better. And of course, you are ALL in my prayers. [hope Michelle takes things easy]

    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  6. Little one's keep us young when they are around.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you so much for stopping by my page and praying for Erin! I recieved a comment about the little girl and the lady said that her parents were in her sisters sunday school class. She gave me a web site that you can go to and it updated every day. Erin does seem to be doing better, but she still has a long way to go, so we still need to keep her in our prayers! Here is the website and I will also post it on my blog! http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewHome.do Bless you!
    Love,
    Brandy

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love those old pictures you have been adding with your Black History posts. Wonderful! We watched a movie called Amazing Grace this past weekend about the fight to abolish slavery in Britain. It was very good.
    Hope Michelle's infection clears up soon.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Glad to hear that Michelle is able to do more - hope the infection clears quickly. Griffyn is really a cutie!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a darling little boy! I'm happy you were able to visit and share these pix with us. I hope the redness dissipates and that Michelle's recovery continues quickly. You have lots on your plate right now, so don't worry about being AWOL. It happens to each of us at different times for a variety of reasons. Thanks for sharing more Black History with us. Do take care of yourself.
    Hugs and blessings,

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good morning, Mary. I will pray for Michelle today...and hoping that you are feeling better, too.

    What an adorable little guy Griffyn is! :D

    And I have been so enjoying this black history, Mary. Thank you for sharing this last bit of information...it was fascinating!
    Would you believe I was online last night seeing if there was anything I wanted to add about black history for my 3rd grader, when I ended up reading about someone I had heard about but knew very little- Fredrick Douglas. I read his complete bio with so many details and it was amazing! Again...the "teacher" here is enjoying learning a lot, too! :)

    Have a good rest of the week, Mary!
    ~Tammy

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have really enjoyed your lessons on African Canadians. We don't seem to know much about this exodus here in the US. Continued prayer for Michelle, and I hope you will soon be feeling well. Now to that adorable little Griffyn. What a cutie, you can tell by the photos he sure enjoys all his attention. What a blessing! Have a lovely day Mary! (((HUGS)))

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mary,

    Those are wonderful photos you have been publishing along with the Black History articles.

    Speaking of great photos, Gryffn is adorable! I can see he is a kid on the go. It is so thoughtful of Melissa to stay with Michelle to help her out.

    I will keep Michelle in my thoughts and prayers that the infection clears up quickly and she is back to her old self soon!

    I hope you are all better now!
    Take care, my friend. :-)

    Love & hugs,
    Tina

    ReplyDelete
  14. Loved the History part again.
    I was thinking about your post the other day.
    Glad things are going well. And you post when you get a chance we are not going any where.;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks again for your information about the Canadian Black communities. I always find the history interesting as I used to teach American history (and had to explain with shame how slaves were treated).

    ReplyDelete
  16. So many have requested prayer lately and as not to forget anyone, I've started a nice little prayer journal that I keep here on the desk. Michelle's name is there and I pray that the infection is healed quickly and she is on the road to recovery in no time!

    Hope you are having a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a fun age! Can you imagine in a few months around here with two of them getting around like that??

    Neosporin sounds like a really good idea - it cleared up Kate's diaper rash in a heartbeat.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for the history lesson, always enjoy them. Sorry you have not been feeling well, praying for you to feel much better. I am also praying for God to heal michelles infection quickly. I love the pictures of griffyn, he is so cute. I love you my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  19. We continue to pray for Michelle. What a cutie Griffyn is!

    Hope you are feeling more yourself real soon.

    Prayers and many blessings,
    Cynthia

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love this post.Some things that are very interesting....Smiles

    ReplyDelete
  21. Mary, Griffyn is so precious. I can tell he's enjoying the attention.

    I will continue to remember Michelle in my prayers.

    ReplyDelete