Monday, February 2, 2009

STORYTELLER


I am the safety net.
We think we will always remember
and we don't.
We can't imagine forgetting,
but we do.
I must catch our lives
from becoming
faded memories.
I must tell our story
so we will never forget.
I am a Storyteller.

~Unknown~

QUESTION #1: What's Your Favorite Ice Cream?

OK, so what does this question have to do with telling your family story? Even the simplest question can release a flood of memories. If this one doesn't do it for you then maybe the next one will. Here's my answer.

My favorite ice cream is plain old vanilla. Not very exciting at first glance, but imagine the possibilities. Vanilla can become anything you want at anytime. I can add fudge or strawberries or butterscotch. Whipped cream and cherries. Crushed cookies or candy bars. It never has to be the same twice.

I remember when I was very young, maybe 4 or so, we lived in Waterville, NY. Every Sunday we attended the local Methodist church and after church we would go to a small ice cream place where I would always get the same thing~A vanilla cone dipped in butterscotch. I was in heaven! Then we would drive into the country and buy eggs from a lady who always gave me a cherry tomato.

There... simple, pleasant and a small tidbit about myself that can be passed along to future generations. Certainly not earthshattering information, but it's something that will go toward making me more real to people who will never get to meet me. The kind of chatty detail that I wish I had about MY ancestors.

So, go ahead and answer this question for yourself. Leave a note in my comments if you like, but most certainly write it down or record it. I'll be asking more questions as we go along and giving you some hints and tips about how to find your own family history. So join in the fun and let's go on the storyteller's journey together.

THE FIRST STEP

I remember my mom telling us stories of our Mayflower ancestors. I remember her telling about when she was little and tried to sic the dog on the neighbor kids, of how my grandfather would come to the house after he and my grandmother divorced and would cry when she refused to let him see his daughters. I wish she had written all these stories down (or that I had a better memory).

As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate the importance of knowing where you came from. Learning who your ancestors were and what they did and how they felt creates a much needed connection and grounding in our busy lives. When family stories are passed down it helps you learn how you are similar as well as different from other family members. Maybe you'll find out how you got that unusual name or the dimple in your chin. Or why Aunt Gert was such an old grouch.

Someday someone will want to know all about you. So get out the old photos, your camera, video recorder or just paper and pen. Let the journey begin.

IN THE BEGINNING.....


"In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage~to know where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness"

~ALEX HALEY~


For Alex Palmer Haley (1921-1992). One of the great American storytellers.