IMGP3514I spent some time today doing some research for a family tree project.  I enjoy the vision of family that materialize from snapshot puzzle pieces of history.

I admire courage, and I think it exists more commonly than we imagine.  Without knowing the whole story, it can be interesting, even inspirational, to imagine what an ancestor’s life was like.  How tough it may have been.  How they persevered, survived, possibly overcame.  Or, perhaps they didn’t, perhaps it was too tough.  But, to gain some glimpses that shed light on their life and the challenges, can help us understand

By looking back, we can grieve those we knew and lost, or never had a chance to know.  Or grieve their struggles and challenges, and empathize.  We can celebrate their successes–jobs, inventions, titles.  Celebrate, even, the marriages and births that eventually begot us.

For each of us, our family can be such an epic story–love, loss, good, bad, struggle, success, heroes, scoundrels.  If we just take the time to look, and ask, and listen.IMGP3513