Ships a-Sailing

This has been the summer of tall ships. A gathering of them took place in Tacoma, WA recently. It was wonderful to sit and watch them slide into Commencement Bay parade style. Some were very old, others less so, some big, some small, yet each had an undefinable grace in motion.

I've never been aboard a sailing vessel of any size, yet when I see them it's easy to imagine the feeling of waves below, wind in the sails and uncharted seas ahead. 

How my ancestors gathered up the courage to board such ships in the 1700's, heading for unfamiliar shores while knowing of the dangers in crossing, I truly cannot fathom. What amazing grit. Today when I see the old ships, I imagine they still carry the essence of those brave men, women and children. And your family...do you wonder or know how they came to this country? Might they have shared passage on the same ships my family did?