What a wonderful walk through the past through others' eyes. It is well worth it to stop and listen to those around us and benefit from their stories, wisdom, and perspective on the world.

My ancestors bought land in northern Illinois from the U.S. government in 1836, which was just a few years after the Black Hawk War in 1832 when the tribe was banned once and for all from their land. My uncle helped to reconstruct the fort that the settlers hastily constructed to defend themselves against the Black Hawks who struggled to regain their land. Although my relatives have lived in the area continuously since those days, knowing the history behind it is tinged with sadness in awareness of how they came into possession of that land.