Genealogy

We all want to know where we come from. We want a sense of being connected to others, to know about our past. I think for me part of this stems from my love for history, part from losing my grandparents at a fairly young age at part from my compulsive nature.

For the longest time I have wanted to know about my family's history but I kept running into obstacles. Then over the past few days I found one genealogy tree that listed many of my grandmother's ancestors and at the same time I was able to connect with my dad's cousin who had done the genealogy on my grandfather's side (all of this on my dad's side). Suddenly all these people that I had known all my life but with different last names fit and I now know my relationship to them. It's soooooo cool knowing this, learning some of the family history, seeing some of the skeletons, etc. I am hoping that my mom's brother can fill in the similar blanks on her side of the family. I love seeing these connections and getting a bigger picture of where I come from.

I think its like this in our regular lives as well. We all want to feel connected, all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Some people find this belonging in drugs and alcohol at bars and parties. Some people find it in service or fraternal organizations. I know that everyone should be able to find this in church. Knowing this it makes me ask, am I as loving as I need to be? Do I treat others like they are part of my family?

At least in this family I don't need to be a historian to know my ancestory. I already know my Father and Brother!

In Him,

David