Doing Something Different This Week ....

I’ve spent the past few days creating some pages for

a family heritage type of scrapbook.

This book will contain some photos and information on the family

of my maternal great-grandparents so it is going to be all about

them and their eleven children. 

One of those eleven children was my maternal grandmother.

I consider myself to be very fortunate to have some photos

of my grandma's parents as well as her siblings, 

along with some of their descendants

 And I’m finding it to be surprisingly soothing and relaxing 

to choose, trim and decorate

the papers for this scrapbook project, as I try to find just the right 

colours, themes and embellishments to suit the person 

whose pictures and story will occupy a particular page.

.

I suppose it would be fair to say that Genealogical research

is so much more than just a hobby for me.

There's a very personal element within the general research for me 

as I seek to know where I came from and what it was in my roots 

that had a hand in making me who I am today. 

As a first generation Canadian, it seems that the more 

I learn about both my ancestral and cultural heritage,

the deeper connection I feel with my roots across the ocean.

My parents made the decision to move here for a better life for themselves 

but have left a legacy that will span many generations yet to come.  

Counting myself, my children, 

my grandchildren and great grand-kids, 

our family is already four generations deep in this country.

 

It is not lost on me that with each generation, 

the connection with our roots fades a bit more and soon 

there will be no one on this side of the ocean 

who will have any contact with family members overseas.

Perhaps that gives me even more of a push 

to record the story of our roots 

for not only those I will leave behind

 but also for those still to come 

who, although they may not have 

any contact with far-away relatives, they will at least have 

an understanding of some of the answers 

to the many 'who, what and where' 

questions they may someday ask themselves.  

As I look into the lives of my ancestors, their extended families

and the times in which they lived,

it turns them from being merely a list of names and dates

into real people …. people who lived and loved, 

raised families, worked, served

and who at times survived hardships, heartbreak and tragedy.

Through it all, I try to remain mindful of one thing, above everything else: 

the fact that

‘we are’, simply because ‘they were’.

Until Next Time, Nanny Anny