Well, this is not my usual kind of Blog post here at Gen Journey, but it really is a journey of sorts. Even though winter still has its icy grip around my home, there are signs that those old boney fingers are loosening their grip. The mornings have more sunlight and an avian chorus greets me as I leave for work. Even the air seems to have an excited ‘feel’ about things to come. For some reason the early stirrings of spring always make me think back to family long past.
I just recently came across a shoe box full of old 8mm home movies my father had taken in the sixties. I had the movies converted to DVD and it was like looking at a time machine. The various moments in a typical family, vacations, birthdays, Christmas morning, family reunions, and the like are remembered once more. Why the stirrings of warmer weather make me think of family has long intrigued me. I guess it has to do with renewal.
Our lives can be compared to seasons, too. Spring is the magical step in this process. It is the renewal of the cycle. Life goes on. However, it is also a time to remember all the lives come and gone. Remembrance is a very complex ‘emotion’. Memories have powerful abilities to stir many different types of feelings from sadness, anger and remorse, to happiness, joy, and contentment. I have often wondered if it is the complex interplay of memories, emotions, and feelings which family tree research stirs up, creates the hook that draws so many people to this pastime.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that regardless of how mundane we may think ‘our ancestors’ were, their lives mattered. They were part of the giant tapestry of life. A single loose thread in a tapestry can unravel the whole thing. Every thread in a tapestry counts – it is needed. This is why we need to remember those who have walked the living world before us. Every life is part of this tapestry, whether they were good or bad.
Very well said! Remembering my childhood has always been a melancholy experience. However, learning about the factors that shaped the lives of my parents and grandparents has helped me to understand them a little better. I wish I had done it when they were still here.
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