So, I already have gone against my word and missed a day to post on this thing. It has been an eventful weekend, so I have decided to post two thoughts in one to get back "on track". Ironically, the schedule that I have made for myself for this blog is that I write about "Favorite Things" (supposedly on Fridays), and a "Political Thought" on Saturdays. Wow. Those two things could be quite interesting to post together, but I am up for a challenge, and will go for it.
The link between these two topics for me is the show, "Who Do You Think You Are?" Have you ever seen it? It airs every Friday night on NBC at 7 (Mountain Time), and it's already on its second season, though each episode is dedicated to a different celebrity, so you can pick up on it at any time. So far, celebrities like Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Reba McIntyre, Jerome Bettis and Helen Hunt have gone on a search for details into their family histories. My favorite thing this week is this show, which I watch religiously. Though I don't have a particularly favorite episode, I have to say that the coolest part about watching each star's journey, is watching as they find some sort of commonality with their ancestry. For example, last night, Helen Hunt found herself in Portland, Maine, where her great great grandmother was at the forefront of the Woman's Suffrage Movement in her city. After years of fighting for the right to vote, at 93 years of age, this woman in Helen Hunt's family was allowed the honor of casting the first ballot in her town once the 19th amendment was amended to allow equal voting rights for women. Of course, Helen Hunt was proud to learn of her great great grandmother's achievements, but what was her personal connection to this amazing event? When Helen was pregnant with her daughter, though she was just several weeks along, she was concerned about her unborn baby. When her and her partner were in Maine, they found someone that was able to provide them with the technology to hear the heartbeat of their tiny weeks old fetus. Helen found it quite touching that the first time that she heard her daughter's sign of life, was in the same place where her great great grandmother made great strides towards equal rights for women, which all women, including Helen Hunt's daughter, now live in a world where women have the same rights as men.
Is that a coincidence? I believe that it is not. When I watch this show, I feel like I not only should find out more about my ancestors, but find a way to relate to those that have gone before me. After watching an episode of this show, the desire to know more about my family becomes insatiable, and I want to find out as much about anyone in my family tree as I can. And last week, I did.
My grandfather, Julian, lost his mother when he was just ten years old. His younger siblings, Betty and Don, were seven and five years old when they were suddenly found without a mother. It's a tragedy that my great grandmother passed away in the prime of her life, but it really hit me hard when I discovered that she died when she was 33 years old. I am the same age as she was when she died. It was a sobering moment for me, as I thought about my sweet little girl, and what life would be like for her if I died as young as my great grandmother did. What would my daughter remember about me? Even though my grandfather was ten years old, I wonder how much he could recall about his own mother as the years went by. My great grandfather went on to marry again, and as far as the family has heard, she was a wonderful mother to my grandfather and his siblings.
Little things like knowing this fact about my great grandmother is important to me. Like Helen Hunt says in her episode of her journey on "Who Do You Think You Are" that when learning things about your family "wakes up parts of you". It's so true, and I challenge each and every one of you to try and find a connection to someone who has gone before you, because I am sure that you will feel more "fulfilled and dimensional".
Now, as far as my political thought goes, I have just one statement. If everyone were to learn more about their past through their family histories, then I believe that society could actually improve. If you learn that your ancestors were pivotal in fighting for and protecting this country, then maybe your pride and patriotism would awaken within you, and your desire to preserve and protect what your ancestors started would guide you to make the right choices and decisions to make today's world better. I don't find it a coincidence that this country was started by those that came from other places that persecuted them for their race, religion, or social status, and that we are challenged to protect those rights even more so today than ever before. I think that most of us would be surprised at how we arrived to be the way we are today, and to know where we came from, helps us to know where we're going. As you learn more about your family, be sure to take in what's important to you, and spread the message in your realm of responsibility. Your family lived and died doing and believing what they felt was right. I am sure they continue to count on us to continue in their legacy.
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