Yes, in "the good old days" many women died in childbirth, or else the infant did not survive.
Modern medicine has insured less infant fatalities.....plus healthier moms.
However, some families did live on, even in adverse conditions.
Genetics? Family unity? Faith? Keeping young at heart?
My dad's family was one big merry clan and the door was always open.........the family was huge.........I doubt if they were ever lonely.
Our generation moved away from the cities to the suburbs or even out of state to small towns. We became nuclear families. Our children became everything to us, in our neat tidy modern worlds, whereas in the old days the children had a huge number of family close at hand. A mob of relatives fussing over them.
SO............
Why do some people live so much longer than the rest of us????
The quest to find out is alive and well.............
http://www.bu.edu/bostonia/fall09/longevity/
LIFE GOES ON.........for the three families depicted in this article.
Please keep scrolling down to their photos and ages......activities, philosophies on life in general. Amazing folks. A great read.
Very inspirational.......
This is one of the most uplifting family stories I have read in a very long time.
Please take the time to read it. It will be worth the effort and time spent.
It helped me to recognize that the longevity and continuance of certain family lines is hereditary.....for sure.
The comfort they take in being together is wonderful. The quintessential family.........