Starting a family history project is a lot like gardening: you jump in enthusiastically, hit it hard for awhile and then summer arrives, with its heat, weeds and other distractions. If you stick with the plan, you reap the harvest. But if you don’t stay with it, things can get ugly in a hurry.
That’s the true test: your ability to see it through to the final reward. And the rewards of doing family history are great. It’s truly a win-win situation when done properly: you enjoy doing it as much as your readers enjoy what you’re doing. Family history helps connect generations in unique and powerful ways.
Here’s some proof:
- Why do it? Genealogical blogger extraordinaire Randy Seaver shares his reasons for preserving his family’s history in this post.
- Are you one of those people who thinks your life has been nothing special? Then you should read this essay about “we” and our accomplishments. You may change your mind.
- Dr. Lyman Beecher’s family stepped in to help him save his family stories back in the 1860s. Their methods are just as valid today. Try them.
- Is there a generational communications gap in your family? Maureen Taylor offers some tips on how to bridge that gap with family history.
Remember, stick to your family history project. You can get there from here. Work smarter, not harder. Don’t give up.
Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand -- Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died -- is available at Amazon.
Flickr photo courtesy of billaday.