One of the most common rationalizations I hear from people for not preserving their own family history is that "My family isn't all that interesting."
Are you sure?
Truth is, most families have a very interesting history and just don't realize it. For one thing, most of us grow up hearing the same family stories over and over again. For us, they're nothing special. To someone else, however, those stories can be spellbinding.
In my own family, an uncle carried around in his family history the story of his grandfather serving time in a Danish prison. One of his sisters, my mother. who supposedly shares the same family history, was unaware of this part of family lore until my uncle casually mentioned it at a family gathering. Perplexed, she asked him why he hadn't mentioned it before. His reply: "I thought everybody knew that story."
How many family stories are lost because they aren't shared, even with their closest relatives?
Michelle Mitchell of Anchorage, Alaska, is making certain her family's history doesn't fade away. Read about her colorful family here.
What are you doing to save your family stories for future generations?
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