The Family Story Tellers

We, the family historians, have been blessed.

In each family there is one person who is called to find the ancestors--to put flesh on their bones and make them live again in the hearts of those long afterward who share their genes. We are called to tell the family story, feeling "their" stamp of approval as each individual saga unfolds.

We are the story tellers of our tribe. Our calling is as genetic as the color of our hair and eyes. From within our souls, our ancestors whisper: "Tell our story!" And our mission begins.

Genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but a breathing of life into all who have gone before. In finding them, we discover ourselves.

There is pride in what our ancestors accomplished. They contributed to what we are and can accomplish today. We accumulate respect for their hardships and losses as we learn of their personal experiences. They never gave up; they became stronger as they forged their way across the nation, ever determined to to go on and build lives for their families. There is deep pride in knowing how they fought to form and preserve our Nation. We begin to understand that even "we" were in their minds as they shielded and guided their children. They wanted us to be born who we are. They never thought that we would not remember them. And so, with love and care, we record and preserve each fact of their existence, thankful for each tiny evidence that falls into our laps unexpectedly. We are family.

As the family story teller of my generation, I am duty bound to assume my place in the preservation of our family's history. And that is why you will find my record here for the next generations, even after I am one of those struggling to be remembered.