In the past two weeks I have come to learn of my family history on my dad’s side dating back to my great great grandfather born in 1830. It was crazy that it took almost 27 years to finally know who I came from. I could only imagine what life was like for the 1st generation of my bloodline coming up as slaves. My great great grandfather Henderson McClure had to know in the 1800’s that we would become something more than just slaves on a farm. As a man, discovering this information brought so much self-fulfillment to me and brought everything full circle.
I never had that sit down with my father growing up to discuss this so at first I was upset with him for never telling me this but everything happens for a reason. Growing up my relationship with my dad wasn’t the best so I always pondered if there were other men before him that had done amazing things. My clarity came when a cousin I had never met before added me on Facebook. He so happened to be this historian of the family and gave me all the information he had. It was crazy because I even discovered that my first name came from my cousin’s middle name. I felt God sent him to me with that information for a reason.
This year has been a challenge making sure my purpose in life is meaningful.
God and I have had many conversations on how he wanted me to serve the people. All I ever wanted to do was help others believe in themselves so they can do great things. Learning about the history of the men that came before me brought a sense of pride back to me and helped me believe more in my purpose in life. I see it as a blessing in disguise because once that happened a few opportunities have come across my way that will grant me a chance to serve my purpose in the city of St. Louis. I will share them with you all as they progress along the way. I encourage everyone to seek out your family 
history to see how great your bloodline is so you can be inspired to do great things. Just think 100 years from now your great great grand-kids will come across your information for the first time. I will hope they are inspired by what you have accomplished in your lifetime. As Kanye says, “Listen to the kids Bro.”
I thank you for checking me out on Mind of a Man Mondays.
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Peace and Love.
Gerard McClure Jr.
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via: ghasspeed@gmail.com
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