I have told my children it has been an honor and a privilege to be
their Mom. With 12 beautiful grandchildren I feel the same way. Have you
ever listened to children's conversations? They speak with sincerity and
joy with wonderment and amazement, imagination and innocence and yes
knowledge. They can embarrass us with the truth and make us laugh and
sometimes cry. I am humbled. But have you ever tried answering their questions? How do you explain why a skunks smell does not go away? Or when your grandson does not believe you, as you are driving past the tree lines, that the moon really is higher than the trees? Have you ever heard "if that is what it means Grandma why didn't you just say that?" and thought you have a good point kid? Try explaining what the word "expect" means I dare you. I reflect on the cycle of life, of our young and the old, of our past and our tomorrows and it is a privilege to share their lives.
Family has always been an important part of my life and genealogy and family history is an extension of my family. My husband teases me that I work with the dead. It's true I am always on the hunt for the next record or searching for just one more bit of recorded information that unlocks my past and I have spent countless hours in libraries buried in old records and transcripts that many might find tiresome all in the pursuit of my quest to give identity and personality to my ancestors.
I look at my grandchildren with all of their different and unique personalities and much like them I am always asking questions. I can't help asking who my ancestors were when they were young and pondering the questions of life and wondering if any of my grandchildren are images of them. I think of my ancestors and I remember my grandmothers and I know that a family consists of past and future generations. And I believe it is family, the peoples in our communities that lived before us that are the core of history.
We are interlocked just as we can not escape being connected to history. The past matters and our ancestors count and they should not be forgotten. It is up to us living in the present to record and preserve our history for our grandchildren and our future generations. It is for these reasons that I continue to answer "who were my ancestors?" and to record the legacy of generations before us.
Family has always been an important part of my life and genealogy and family history is an extension of my family. My husband teases me that I work with the dead. It's true I am always on the hunt for the next record or searching for just one more bit of recorded information that unlocks my past and I have spent countless hours in libraries buried in old records and transcripts that many might find tiresome all in the pursuit of my quest to give identity and personality to my ancestors.
I look at my grandchildren with all of their different and unique personalities and much like them I am always asking questions. I can't help asking who my ancestors were when they were young and pondering the questions of life and wondering if any of my grandchildren are images of them. I think of my ancestors and I remember my grandmothers and I know that a family consists of past and future generations. And I believe it is family, the peoples in our communities that lived before us that are the core of history.
We are interlocked just as we can not escape being connected to history. The past matters and our ancestors count and they should not be forgotten. It is up to us living in the present to record and preserve our history for our grandchildren and our future generations. It is for these reasons that I continue to answer "who were my ancestors?" and to record the legacy of generations before us.
