Do you ever find yourself agreeing to a statement that doesn't actually sit right with you? My gift of discernment has become sharper with age. Like cheddar cheese!
Yesterday I listened to someone say,"Life is hard for our kids." My heart caught and I reflected on how many times I've agreed with that remark. But I don't believe it. Life is just life. You take a step at a time. The hard part is falling in love with it and getting out of your own way to enjoy it more.
So it is with family history. It's not hard. Might be that you're just not in love with it. Yet. That's my job.
In my last post I told you that a few of my children taught themselves to play an instrument. Why? What motivated them? My take on it was that there was someone whom they admired and they wanted to do what they did. But it was the thrill of success that hooked them. And the process.
Ask any mother ( It's my guess that we feel the same. Forgive me if I'm wrong.) who has miscarried a child. The sense of connectedness is as strong for her as it is for the one who delivers and holds her child after 10 months of waiting. The process binds us.
What I think holds people up from starting their family history is not so much their under-valuing it as it is the fear of the process and imagined commitment involved. So much like the fears of relationships, marriage and family, shifting to a new career, or following a dream to do something new.
Again, that's why I'm here.
I'm here to tell you to dive in with both feet. You'll fall in love. You don't know who or what you don't know...yet...so you've nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Just get a box or a bag today and start loading every important document that relates to you and your ancestors into it. Then sort what you have by generations. Do just that today.
Then pull out one of them. Sit and read it. Let your mind wander. Ask the people whose names you'll see, "Is life really hard?"
I'll bet they'll whisper to you,,"No! And don't let anyone tell you that it is. I wish I'd truly lived mine. Boy do I have a story to tell you!"
Maybe they'd quote Plato:
| Nope. Don't know these people. But I wish I did! |
So it is with family history. It's not hard. Might be that you're just not in love with it. Yet. That's my job.
In my last post I told you that a few of my children taught themselves to play an instrument. Why? What motivated them? My take on it was that there was someone whom they admired and they wanted to do what they did. But it was the thrill of success that hooked them. And the process.
Ask any mother ( It's my guess that we feel the same. Forgive me if I'm wrong.) who has miscarried a child. The sense of connectedness is as strong for her as it is for the one who delivers and holds her child after 10 months of waiting. The process binds us.
What I think holds people up from starting their family history is not so much their under-valuing it as it is the fear of the process and imagined commitment involved. So much like the fears of relationships, marriage and family, shifting to a new career, or following a dream to do something new.
Again, that's why I'm here.
I'm here to tell you to dive in with both feet. You'll fall in love. You don't know who or what you don't know...yet...so you've nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Just get a box or a bag today and start loading every important document that relates to you and your ancestors into it. Then sort what you have by generations. Do just that today.
Then pull out one of them. Sit and read it. Let your mind wander. Ask the people whose names you'll see, "Is life really hard?"
I'll bet they'll whisper to you,,"No! And don't let anyone tell you that it is. I wish I'd truly lived mine. Boy do I have a story to tell you!"
Maybe they'd quote Plato:
The measure of a thing is its reality,
its true self;
to fulfill its own measure,
to be entirely what it is meant to be,
this is to obey the law of existence."
Don't listen to the voice that says family history is too hard either. It's your family!! It can't be that hard! These are your people. Go on a date with one of them. You just might have fun and end up saying,"Where have you been my whole life?"
The only obstacles I ever had to this work were organizing what I had and seeing my work all in one place while I wandered around through paper or virtual pages of documents. Here are my two solutions. Use them and pass them on. Because people in love are fun to be around!
Have fun! Enjoy the journey!
I think you make a great point when you say people in love are fun to be around. So true, and in genealogy, such a great thing. Those of us that truly love what we are doing tend to dig a little deeper, be a little more passionate and have a lot of information to share because of it. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWonderful Post!! Thank you for sharing
ReplyDelete