LEGACY

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 265

Eighty-seven years — that’s the difference between them: my dad, Ronald, and little Frances, my cousin’s granddaughter. Today, we celebrated their birthdays (which were on Thursday) during our annual Art and Claire Bonnicksen family get-together.

These family reunions are becoming more precious with every passing year. My mom and dad are the oldest among us, kinda the binder and reason for our yearly reunion. My dad is the oldest Bonnicksen alive in our clan, and perhaps within the greater clan extending out. I’m not sure if any of my father’s cousins are still alive. Dad, being 89 and the youngest among his siblings, is, I believe, all that remains of the Forgotten Generation that was born with the Bonnicksen name.

We’ve heard it said that there are not many Bonnicksen clans left in the United States. We’ve heard of a few “famous” ones, like a photographer (no, not me) who worked for National Geographic at one time. And every now and again, we’ll hear of a Bonnicksen name pop up, usually with some tie to Ringsted, Iowa, where our great (whatever) grandparents settled after immigrating from Denmark.

I was curious, so I asked AI to do some research on our family name. It came back with this:

"The (Bonnicksen) name is so uncommon that it doesn't even crack the top 100,000 surnames in the Decennial U.S. Census. The Census Bureau generally only ranks surnames that appear 100 or more times nationwide, and Bonnicksen consistently falls below that threshold.

Global genealogical databases reflect this scarcity. For example, Geneanet, which tracks billions of ancestral records globally from the 1600s to today, lists only about 105 total individuals historically documented under the exact 'Bonnicksen' spelling, and fewer than 300 for the variant 'Bonnichsen.' In the United States, you aren't just one of a few clans—your family tree likely accounts for nearly all of the Bonnicksens in the country."

That last little bit isn’t entirely true, but it might be close… We know of others “out there,” but think they too might have had an origin story in Ringsted. That said, within our branch of the Bonnicksen tree, there’s only one male remaining to pass along our surname: my nephew (and he’s still young and single). There’s still a shot! C’mon, Tad: it’s all up to you! No pressure. LOL.

Any bit of humor aside, I think that makes these reunions even more precious. While I know our legacy will continue with every passing generation in some form or another, there’s something about a family name that’s enduring.

I’m grateful that I’m one among a few, not only in the nation, but in the world. There’s something special about that… perhaps. I think it’s neat to be a son of Bonnick, whoever he was and whenever he lived. But ya wanna know what’s more neat? It’s to be a child of the Most High God.

While I think it’s neat to carry the name I do, the name I’m most proud to carry is Child of God. For this, I’m truly grateful. While I’m uber-grateful and proud and all that to be the son of Ronald, the son of Art and Claire, and the son of (I honestly don’t know who); I’m even more grateful to be called by God’s child through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For both, I’m thankful. One is a legacy that comes through genealogical blood; the other comes from the cleansing blood of the Lamb. What a legacy for both, IMHO.

What are you thankful for today?