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I am Joseph L. McKnight. I was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where my mother's family is from; and grew up in Roanoke, Alabama, where my father's family is from. Most of my childhood years was spent in Roanoke, Alabama; and my teen years was spent in Cleveland,Ohio, Meadville, Pa, and Queens New York.
I have moved around a lot in my life, and I have and am proud to call Queens, New York, Meadville, Pennsylvania, Pa, Detroit, Mi, and Lynchburg,Va, home. I spent four years in the
US Air Force, in Texas, Japan, Hawaii, and Washington, DC,or rather Silver Springs, Md.
I have seen many things happen to families, in families and between famalies, some bad, most it good, yet inspite of the bad and because of the good there is no union and relationship that is more important that that of the family. One of the sadest things that I have ever witnessed is when families foolishly and knowingly hurt another family. I understand that there are many factors that affect ones life; depending on your prospective, from other people, to money, to religion, to politics, to time space, the heaven and the earth, and most of all the plan and purpose of God.
The defined limits that we put upon what constitutes family may vary; I personally think that the defined limits that the bible uses is very good. The limits that I speak of is in relationship to marriage and the sexual relationships of a male and female.
It is never ok for father and daughter, mother and son, an uncle or aunt with a nephew, or neice: the blood child of an aunt or and uncle, these are some limits that I personally think should not be crossed. All things that exist has a purpose and it is to the one who designed, planned and purposed a thing that we must go to find out the limits and capibilities of that thing, be it plant, animal, or human, animate or inanimate. I accept that the designer of all that is is God....
In reality, , if we subscribe to the bibically based version of creation, The children of Adam and Eve, would have had to start the process by marriage between brothers and sisters. If we try to deny or to ignore this fact we become like an ostrich that sticks it's head in the ground at the sing of danger.Whether we like it or not it happened. We trust that if indeed it soptped at some point, that it was God who had a purpose for stopping it.
Relative to why and at what point in time it became necessary to draw or expand the line in who to mate with, I do not know; I personally I don't believe that it had as much to do with biology as it does with something in the heart and mind of God. I don't think that it was some arbitrary thing, as we know abitrary, yet it was God's choice, and if we call that arbitrary, then it was divine arbitration.
Family is very special to me. It does not matter what they feel about me, I love family. I do have feelings, and those feelings can be hurt, yet in spite of that I choose to love family. Sometime, one may have to draw back to protect themselves, yet one must always look for the opportunity to heal hurts and demonstrate love for family. Many times it may be a difficult task, and sometimes it may be impossible to see and experience the healing of a hurt someone may have experienced at your hands, be it real or imagined, however you can begin the process by forgiving them in your heart and mind and by your actions.
In my family searh and sharing the beginning point is with McKnight, for that is the family I was immediately born into.
Then there is the McKissick's for that is the family of my mother and the family of my mother's parents and of the city that I was born. And then there is the Smith's, the family of my father's mother, where we grew up in the first and early years of my life. The Reed's the family of my father's father's mother
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