The following beautifully written poems were composed by my cousin, Ruby Lillian MacLean Cail, especially for this Website. Thank you Ruby!

OUR ANCESTORS

What is your name and from where do you hail?

How many times does that question prevail?

Were your ancestors kind, caring and good?

Did they strive for the better? Work hard for their food?

Did they live in the city or on a small isle?

How did they live? Did they find time to smile?

So many questions, we long for and yearn.

Some delve, and they delve ‘til the answers they learn.

What were they like, and how did they live

Did they find time to laugh and to others give?

A heritage so vast, and by God’s good grace

Gave a wee part of themselves, each in their place.

Some gave their lives to make a better life

For those that followed, lessening their strife.

They gave up their homeland and friends that were few

And came to a new land, where no one they knew.

Such were our forefathers of long, long ago

Their sacrifices and hard toil to make life just so

May we ever remember and in some small way

Be thankful for all that we have today.

Author:

Ruby Lillian (MacLean) Cail

April 20, 2000

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

What’s in a name? I ask you per chance.

Where do we hail from - Scotland, England or France?

Who were our forefathers? We all want to know.

Where did they come from in the long, long ago?

What are the qualities of all of our kin?

What has been passed down? To whom, why and when?

Do you look like your aunt, or act like your cousin?

Does your smile remind us of relatives by the dozen?

The name, be it MacLean, MacDonald, Campbell or Scott,

Is the way that you are, part of what you have got

From your ancestors of that far off land

Where they toiled and they struggled to meet life’s demand?

Will the creditor say, Your credit is good?

I remember your father. I sold him some wood

Or, will you fill out some papers and have them approved

By everyone concerned, in case that you move?

How times have changed from the years gone by.

We sometimes shake our heads and can only ask, "Why"?

What happened to the simple times? But were they simple then?

Whatever it was, we do know we are their kin.

Author:

Ruby Lillian (MacLean) Cail

April 20, 2000