There is a certain excitement in learning who you are. Whether it is discovering something about yourself, or following your passion, no matter how often it happens, that thrill never wears off. There is something even more exciting and that is discovering the part of you that is your past; Maybe not your past, but the past that in some form makes you who you are.
I believe that we are made up of those who have gone before us. Take me for example. I am a Librarian. Yet, I am not the first in my family to be a Librarian. In my fathers family, >his mothers cousin was the Librarian of their small town in northern Utah and my cousin is studying to be an archivist. In my mothers family, her cousin is a Librarian (who in fact gave me some advice that helped me to find my current job), and her mother, as a teenage girl worked at her public library and helped on the bookmobile:
I am lucky that I know all these things. Lucky that these things have happened in the lifetime of people I know and lucky they were able to share this part of my history, my story. But what if I wasn’t lucky enough? What if that picture of my Grandma in front of the Cherokee County Public Library Bookmobile wasn’t something she could give to me? What if I wanted to know about my family but didn’t know where to find out?
October is Family History Month and so I think its fitting to put a plug in for Libraries. America’s public Libraries have vast resources to help you. Many libraries have subscriptions to Ancestry.com. Others have local records and newspapers. Some have more than others, but wherever you live, you can use your public library to begin your search to find out where you story began. You can also utilize a Family History Center near you.
My grandfather, during the last number of years, was a large proponent of family history. He understood the link that bound together the generations was an important one. Our past is what allows us to understand out future. Only in knowing where have come from can we know where we are going. We can draw strength from the stories of those who have gone before: of their faith, courage and determination. We can see that we are not the first to face challenges, we can see that others have done it before, and that can give us hope and fortitude to do what we need to do.
America is a country of immigrants, of those who sought a better life of opportunity and freedom. In learning their stories of struggle, and hardship and determination, we can better appreciate what they have given us. Celebrate Family History Month and discover part of who you are.
