How much do you know of your family history?

You most likely know back one generation to your parents. Maybe you knew your grandparents. And maybe you were lucky enough to know your great grandparents. After that, things usually get a little fuzzy. But how much do you know about any of them – even those who have been part of your life?

“Not much” is my guess, even if you’re a history buff. And why is that? Because most of us aren’t famous with detailed biographies of past relatives. And most of us are pretty private about what we know and where we messed up. And that’s true for every generation.

Stop for a minute and think about what past generations knew to survive. Ten generations back, most families grew their own food, made their own clothes, built their own houses, and raised farm animals for food and transportation. How helpful and interesting would it be to know what they knew? To understand how past generations made decisions? How they worked? How they traveled? How they survived?

Everything they did and learned led to this time. To you. How did you get here?

Now think about what you’ve learned in your lifetime – about love, life, work, decision making. Have you shared that in some way with the next generation, verbally or in writing? Think of all the details we could learn if each of us was honest about what we think about and what we know. We can’t go back in time and capture long lost knowledge, feelings, and emotions. But we can more forward to share what we know in an open and honest way.

We’re all connected – past, present, and future. Please don’t let your thinking, your ideas, or your knowledge slip away! What can you do in this lifetime to make sure the best of what you’ve learned gets passed along to the next generation?

It’s daisy-time here in Maine. When I garden, I often think of my great grandmother Linnie Mohan who moved from the hilly farmlands of western Kentucky to Pueblo, Colorado. Her tiny back yard in Colorado was pretty much all garden. I wish I had known her better!

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