Just look up

When I was but a child, my dad would take us boys on father-and-son outings. I remember them with nostalgia. A prized memory was the beautiful starry night skies we would see once we left the city and set out to find the camp somewhere in the mountains. We described this as the Milky Way.

Later as a boy in the country, my family lived in a unique situation in a small community with few electric lights. When night fell, the area was very dark. Since we were in a valley, the cliffs obscured the rays of the sun, so shadows appeared early in the evening. And once nightfall came, we could leave the cabin home and walk into our fields where we would spread a blanket to lie on.

There, we would watch the stunning constellations and see the Milky Way every night. Galaxies hung in the sky above us, so numerous that the billions of stars reflected a general white haze in space as the countless orbs radiated their light in our direction. I haven't seen brilliant skies like that since those days, but the memory is still fervent, sweet, clear, and distinct...all that from taking time to just look up.

It occurs to me there are generations of ancestors with stories, experiences, and messages for me if I will but take the time to turn my heart to them and listen to their carefully prepared gift.

The result is a sense of fulfillment as ancestors become real as we benefit from their wisdom and advice. Families can be together forever starting now.

But it's my responsibility...I have to look up.

Why Do Genealogy?

Why Family History is Important