In days past, families didn't travel very far from where their families were. Most extended family members lived close together, a lot of times in the same town or even as neighbors. These days you don’t discover many families that live close by. Employment and education have created families that are spread far and wide. We do have ideal ways to keep up with family, with email and telephone calls, but we are missing the personal touch. Because of the losa of close contact, we don't really get to know our family the way we used to.
The interaction we have with our family that lives far away is similar to how we know our ancestors. We know of them, we may even know a bit about their lives and what they do. But do we know their personal memories?
We get a sense of who we and are our place in a family by connecting to our extended family, whether it is distant family of today or our ancestors of the past. Learning about their personal lives, hope and dreams, every day occurances, help us to feel like we are an intimate part of their life. However these connections don't just happen, we need to do our part to make them.
It is a little bit of a two edged sword, we are able to stay connected in ways that we have never been able to before, yet it is tougher than ever. We should have no trouble staying in touch because of all the improvements in communication we have today. Email and good telephone service gives us the ability to contact almost anyone anywhere. We are able to visit far-off family with very little difficulty. In the old days, if someone moved away from their family it was possible that they would never see each other again. It is no trouble for families today to travel long distance to visit family. The problem we face is finding the time to travel.
You can stay in touch with family without going for extended visits. It may take a little time, but when you really think about it family is worth the effort. Not only can you keep your family connected today, you will be able to develop your record for future generations. We want to leave a good heritage for those who will wonder about us in the future.
Start a circle journal. If you have siblings or cousins that live far-off, start a circle journal within the group. Start a journal and keep it for a week or so. It can be a day to day journal or just write in it once or twice. But make sure you include information about what you are doing in your life right now. After you have kept it for a short time, mail it to the next person on the list and they will do the same. Set up the time period so each person gets the journal about every six weeks. When you get the journal back you can read about what everyone else has been doing with their lives, then you update your information and pass it along again. At the end of each year make a copy for everyone in the group and start with a fresh journal for the new year. This is a fun way to keep in touch with a group of people and it is more personal than a yearly update letter.
With a circle journal you are not only staying in touch, but you are creating an everyday history for your future posterity. We tend to history the big events, but not our daily routine. If you research your family history you will find that you cherish the records of the mundane things of everyday. These are the events that make our ancestors real and help us to identify with them. It is important to create that kind of record for your posterity.
Create a family blog. Blogging is a good way to stay in touch and share stories. You can keep your blog private and only invite family members. Blogging is a terrific way to share pictures, funny life stories, and major events with your family and friends.
Make a digital scrapbook. Digital scrapbooking is an cheap, mess free way to create a family record. When you create a scrapbook digitally, you can share your layouts with family and friends by posting them on your blog or picture sharing websites. You can also have your scrapbook professionally printed and bound and give it as gifts.
A family history does not have to be a hand written journal. We get thrilledwhen we come acrosssomething that ties us to our ancestors, and your history with make that kind of exhilarationin your posterity as well. A history of family helps us to remember where we have been and guides us to where we are going. Make sure your family history has you in it!
Author Resource:
Piper loves to research geneology She likes nature, music and spending time with her family. Piper loves the time she spends writing about family history and genealogy.
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