283. What cousin were you the closest to when you were growing up? Tell one story about that cousin.
284. Who is the first baby that you remember holding and interacting with?
285. What is your least favorite smell?
286. What style of art do you like?
287. What kind of floors did your grandmother have in her house? What do you remember about them? What did you think about them – did you love them or hate them?
288. Who or what event awakened your love for genealogy?
289. Tell one story about your great-aunt.
This post I've chosen to do 288.Who or what event awakened your love for genealogy.
My maternal grandmother awakened my love for genealogy. I think that I had always been interested in it - I remember asking my dad's mother about her family (questions that were complex...and I didn't get REAL answers until I was an adult). I will forever remember the night I acknowledged that my grandmother was going to die. More than anything, I realized that I had no idea who my grandmother was as a person - other, of course, than my grandmother. I started wondering how she met my grandfather, what her childhood had been like, what motherhood had been like, etc. Then I realized that I didn’t know anything about my grandfather either. These two people were key figures in my childhood, and I knew so little about them. A month before my Grandmother died, I sat down with both of my grandparents. I asked them to tell me their story. I wanted to know about their childhoods, their courtship, their hopes and dreams. And they told me. Together, my grandparents told me the best story I had and have ever heard: their lives. |
When my grandmother died, I realized just how precious the gift was that she had given me: my children will be able to hear my grandmother - their great-grandmother - telling her own story. This is why I love genealogy and the work that I do! How precious, to be able to hear your grandmother telling the same stories you have heard your entire life. Your grandfather’s laughter can live on, beyond him - and your children can hear his laughter too.
I've been able to collect information on their immediate and extended families. I know that my work is far from finished, and I am excited about the unexpected discoveries that I will make.