Ancestors

My husband's cousin started putting together a family tree. That made me want to see what I could find out about my side of the family. My folks didn't spend a lot of time with relatives. Mom was an only child and her mother passed away when mom was still a teenager. I started out on Ancestry.com. I found out I didn't know much about how to start.

I am amazed at the availability of information on the web. I stumbled across a tree that included my father and his maternal side. That tree had a few guesses and blanks that I could help fill in. Now to try to find out about his paternal side and both of my mother's ancestors.

What it made me realize is that almost all of the people with stories and knowledge about my history are either gone or lost in our big mobile world. So I'm trying to make sure what I know - the tales and stories as well as relationships - is available if our descendants want to know about us.

Somehow it didn't seem important when I was younger, but as I age the desire to know increased. Maybe it really is to leave a trail behind or mark my time for those who come after. Maybe it really comes down to wondering who will meet me when I cross the river. Wouldn't be awkward to have these heavenly hosts waiting to take me in and have no idea who they are!

It's a good thing to tell your family's stories, but it is much better to record those stories either on paper or tape. None of us know when our time is up. I hope to leave a message behind.

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