Sunday, August 7, 2011

An Emotional Payoff!



This is my beautiful boy, Brody. He came home for the weekend yesterday. I wasn't planning on being busy. I wanted to sit and enjoy him.

 But, I spent the morning painting the kitchen, hallway and stairs, and swimming with the little ones.

Finally, I made my way upstairs and got the last gallon of paint out to apply to my daughter's bedroom walls.

And then Brody came in, sat down, and breathed new life into my weary soul. He doesn't know that. He will when he reads this because he always reads my stuff. He is a quiet support to me.

But here's the gem: he told me he loves the stories about his ancestors! Brody is and always has been someone who marches to the beat of his own drummer. He'll master anything he sets his mind to. And here he was talking to me about genealogy. My heart started racing and I had to catch myself because I can get overly excited when it comes to this stuff. (I know when that is happening 'cause he'll start laughing).

He said he'd been so inspired when hearing stories about his ancestors that he was wondering about a career in genealogy. I don't know much, but I told him it's pretty much a labor of love. It's NOT a hobby! It's an important work to be in love with. There are things he's meant to do with his life. Part of that will be to help to find more ancestors, get them in order, and share their stories. He'll figure out how to do that while sharing his music and other interests.

Annual Jan.1st Polar Bear swim.
This pic. is old and he's going to kill
me for sharing it! But he's a fun guy. Just had to add it.
What I really want to share is my surprise. Surprise that someone whom I regard as fun and fully-engaged in life and all of the adventures it has to offer, shares my passion. Family history touches a deep part of us, a place where all of our emotions live. It's not always a place you get to in a busy world.

But Brody came to visit. And I found out that he goes there sometimes, too. When I didn't think anyone was listening. When I was writing because I felt compelled to share their stories because they'd bug me 'til I did. You know...those invisible people.

I don't know if I can convey well enough what the new connection I feel with my son means to me. To know that by doing what I love someone else that I love was touched and inspired. Such a simple thing. But it could have been something I'd never have known about my son had I not had the courage to just be me, doing what I love to do, sharing it bit by bit.

Thanks Brodes! You made your mama smile. You gave me a reason to keep going. Thanks for listening. And thanks for talking to me. I love you.

11 comments:

  1. Your Brody is a very handsome guy! Is he single?

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  2. Oh, I should have added a wink to my last comment. Isn't it wonderful when our children love ancestors, too!

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  3. Congratulations on successfully passing on the genealogy bug to your next generation! I hope that one day I'm as successful.

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  4. Nancy! You crack me up. Yes, he
    s 21 and single. It is sooo wonderful that he came to ME! I'm usually following people around trying to bend THEIR ears.

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  5. Thanks Elizabeth! I can't believe it. He made my day!
    Betsy

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  6. Betsy, aloha. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with us. This is the sentence that spoke to me:

    "To know that by doing what I love someone else that I love was touched and inspired."

    Betsy, it must feel fantastic to know that by being true to your beliefs, Brody took the time to look, to dig to see just what it was that captivated his mother. Better still, he too is now responding to that siren song of genealogy.

    Congratulations to you both, Betsy. Best wishes for a terrific week. Aloha. Janet

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  7. Hi Janet!,
    Thanks for understanding how exciting this is to me. It's always worth the wait!
    Betsy

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  8. Nice to meet you and your family, Betsy. Seems Brody may be an "old soul" who feels a deep connection to his roots. Your ancestors have led successful lives which is to simply leave the world behind just a bit better. It is a noble endeavor to carry on the conversation so future generations can do the same.

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  9. Thank you Rob! And thanks for coming by. As far as "successful" lives goes, I'd say we're all a bit of a success story! See you "around"!
    Betsy

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  10. Hey I wrote a big comment here a few days ago.I see its gone..hope it wasn't anything I said

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  11. Stacey,
    Can you remember what you wrote and repost it? I never got it. But it's not unusual for me to have this happen. This blog has a really strange comment system. I can't change my settings to give replies either. I don't know if anyone is getting my comments back! Oh well! Thanks for your patience.
    Betsy

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