Isn't that beautiful? I'm trying to locate the source of it. Does anybody know where it came from? Mona [email protected] Host - Buffalo Co., NEGenWeb - http://www.rootsweb.com/~nebuffal Our Family - http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monajo/ On Sun, 29 Jul 2001 20:41:31 -0500 "Frank & Ellen Maxted" <[email protected]> writes: > I am hoping that no one thinks that I am out of line for sending this > to all of you. Frank Maxted > > Subject: The Story Tellers > > > The Story Tellers..... > > We are the chosen. My feelings are in each family there is one who > seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and > make them live again, to tell the family story and to feel that > somehow they know and approve. To me, doing genealogy is not a cold > gathering of > facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. > > We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have > been called, as it were, by our genes. > > Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do. > In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I > stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I > told the ancestors you have a wonderful family you would be proud of > us? How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow > there was love there for me? I cannot say. > > It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why > do I do the things I do? It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be > lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying I can't let this > happen. > > The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes > to doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors > were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. > It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving > in or > giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their > family. > > It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. > It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it > for us. > > That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we > do. With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, > because we are them and they are us. So, as a scribe called, I tell > the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next > generation to answer the call and take their place in the long line > of family storytellers. > > That, is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those > young and old to step up and put flesh on the bones. > > ( Unknown Author ) > > > > ==== NEBRRoots Mailing List ==== > NEGenWeb Project. Visit: http://www.rootsweb.com/~negenweb/ > Nebraska History & Trivia join: [email protected] > List Admin: [email protected] > ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.