Thank you so much, Marie, for giving us that. I've printed it and will treasure it. I may even frame it...lol. It really hit the nail on the head so to speak. Have a great day! Marie Like branches on a tree, our lives may grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one... EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me > From: mari@netins.net > To: sellers@rootsweb.com > Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:26:13 -0500 > Subject: [SELLERS] OFF TOPIC > > > > The Story Tellers....we are the chosen... > > or why I am so fascinated ("obsessed") with Genealogy > > 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. > > > > Note by Harold Sparks -Webmaster: Sparks > <http://sparksgenealogy.com/strytelr.html> Genealogy.com > > The article above was shared with me by a fellow Genealogist, as an > attachment to an E-Mail . The author of the piece at that time was > unknown. Through the diligence of Karen Adams, the true author was > tracked down. It was written by Della M. Cummings Wright and re-written > by her grand daughter, Della JoAnn McGinnis Johnson. A version of the > piece appeared on the web site of Tom Dunn. He had again re-worded and > edited it.... > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SELLERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message