Hola Cabán Family! Welcome to 2018! (OK, it's almost the end of January, but we'll just ignore that).

It's a grey windy COLD day, on the island where I sit. Needless to say that island is NOT Puerto Rico. However I would like to start by commenting that I was gutted and very worried about the terrible hurricane that hit PR. One of my first cousins, who is 80 years old, found himself and his family right in the path of it all. Fortunately they had a very sturdy house, built of concrete, and so no one was hurt, but everything around them was devastated. Through the GoFundMe method we all donated enough money to get them out, back to New York, and provide them with the money for winter clothing. He is very optimistic about the future and really, that's what really helps when one faces a trail over which there is no control.  Hope and a positive outlook can help a person to cope with the most terrible circumstances. (There is a wonderful book about this: called "Man's Search for Meaning" by Nazi death camp survivor, Viktor Frankl)

So I would like to say that I hope that the rest of our family and friends in Puerto Rico, are all ok and getting back on their feet. The lack of support from the government has been shocking and sad, but we are living in challenging times world wide. 

Perhaps that is why I enjoy genealogy so much. Maybe that's why you do too. Or maybe you have a mystery to solve. Or want to reach out to family. Or find out about a story you've heard.

One thing that has come up is further refinement of the Ancestry.com DNA information. Looking at the connections there are so MANY cousins out there! It really amazes me... 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th cousins! That's why I like the hello shout outs that people post to this page. Please take time to read them, if you get a chance, because you never know how close the next one might be to you!

Feel free to shout out hello right HERE!!