We often wander through life questioning where we belong. We are usually acquainted with parents and siblings, and maybe grandparents and cousins, but beyond that one’s family history can be an anxious unknown. For many people, tracing your family tree and connecting with your family history brings with it a strong sense of who you are. Piecing together our the past often adds meaning to our lives.

Family Stories
You can learn about your family through the stories each member shares. You probably have a few of your own. Write them down if you have to so that you can pass them on. Ask your immediate family to share their fondest memories of family occasions. These memories do not have to be huge events such as marriages, deaths or vacations to be cherished. Often they are the simple things, like a serendipitous event or one’s childhood impressions. Telling stories is a way to connect with family members that you hardly know. Maybe you can get to the bottom of that feud between cousin John and aunt Alice. Create a new relationship through the memories you’ll discover.

Family stories can lead to important findings too. A story or a firsthand account of an event may have made the history books. Maybe a family member was present in Europe when the Berlin Wall came down. What if a family member marched with Martin Luther King, Jr.? They may even have invented something we use today. You never know what you might find that ties your family to important times gone by.

Through the years, your family may have retained a philosophy passed down by one of your ancestors. If they went to war, maybe what they saw inspired them to raise their kids not to fight or to be a military family. Such sentiments run through a family and shape it to be what you see today. You might not have known why before but as you learn about your family’s past, you will find out.

Legacy and Tradition
Each of us has a legacy to leave to those who follow us. Sharing family facts through stories or a written history opens a window into the life of the people who made it possible for us to be here in the first place. Make it a family tradition. Begin sharing your own stories, along with those you’ve discovered in your search for information, with children, siblings, and other relatives. As you start passing along your stories, you’ll might feel better about where you came from and you’ll help those younger than you to do the same in the future.

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