Prologue

It was not until I started doing research for this book did I truly realize what an amazing story our family has, and how against all odds our family has persevered and succeeded over the past century.  I hope that I am able to convey in this book the tremendous odds that my ancestors beat. They had the foresight to abandon their life of comfort and luxury, fleeing to Canada with nothing, not knowing a word of English. They left an idyllic life to become farmers who knew nothing about farming.  Then through hard work and perseverance, they made it all over again.  If I had not verified all the information myself I might not have believed it possible.

I believe that I, like you, have been put on this earth to act as a link in a chain between my ancestors and my descendants.  This book, my first, and I hope the first of several in this series, is my first attempt at memorializing my generation’s role in our family’s history.  I have tried in this book to recount where we have come from, where we are, and some lessons I have learned along the way to help guide us in building, in our generation and beyond, upon the foundation that has been laid for us.