Preserve History of Family
Remember the first time you got a C in school? I remember studying really hard for my math test. I didn’t want to show my grade to my parents. I remember being so frustrated. It is funny how the highest pain and the highest joy locks into our memory. I remember feeling like my parents are going to be mad at me.
Isn’t it amazing how small and insignificant that moment is, compared to memories or things that happen to us as life goes on. I remember when I first got my drivers license. Everyone could not wait to turn 16 and break free, to drive where ever you wanted. I was so excited and nervous at the same time to take the drivers license test. The excitement and awe of being able to drive eventually wares off, even though it did change my life at that time.
Many times we become obsessed about things in life that are really so small, compared to the next major events that happen (good or bad) in our lives. Many of these times in our life, family is around us. How do we capture all of these events, so that we can remember them years later, after the excitement and awe seems to ware off? How do we keep these moments alive?
Do you remember your ancestor’s names?
I remember doing a missions trip with my brother to Jamaica when in high-school. It was a milestone moment for my brother, Mike, and I. It drew us closer as we saw just how insignificant our life problems were. There were people without homes, food, cars, clothes (let alone the latest style outfit), etc. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to preserve history of your family, including all the life changing moments together. You have something you have learned from each major moment in your life, that you can pass on to your future children or grandchildren.
Many times we can get so busy that we forget to slow down and enjoy the moment or learn from the experience. Stop letting days just go by. You never know what each day may bring you in life. You have meaning in life. You have influence over others around you. Your kids and grandchildren watch and listen to you even when you do not think they are. Who remember putting your ear against the bedroom door of your parent’s bedroom to listen to what they were saying? I know I do.
Where do you get your identity?
Your identity of who you are comes in some way from your family. Please don’t ever get so busy that you do not take the time to learn more about your family, their history, and how it has helped shape your daily life. We all make the time to do the things we want to do. Also, make time to talk to your parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren. Many times things that consume our energy in our life, is things that will not last. Family will last. Your family used to be young like you too. One day you will be older also. Make your daily life count.
Many times we immerse ourselves and find our identity in things that will not last. Values, traditions, stories, and some tangible memories can last if you do things to preserve them. What in your family history do you want to last?
Most people reading this blog, or in your family will be totally forgotten in just a few generations. Let that sink in. No one will know your name, let alone what you did for a living. When I worked in counseling I would ask clients, “Hey, tell me about your great, great, great grandparents. What were their names?” ” What did they do?” Every now and then, someone would tell me their name. Many people told me they “think they were farmers.” When I asked the next following questions, they had no idea.
- What were they like?
- What were their dreams?
- What did they like?
- What did they struggle with in life
- What were their hurts?
- What did they do in their spare time?
In just a few generations, you will be forgotten. You many think you have accomplished a lot in life. You may think you matter. You will be totally and completely forgotten on this temporary planet. You are one of 100 billion people that have lived on this planet. You are just another person on this planet.
I am not trying to be Miss Debbie Downer here. I am merely trying to get across to you how important it is to preserve your impact on history. It is so important to find and make time to preserve your history of family. Your life is so short on this planet. What are you doing today to change the life of future generations in your family?
Children grow so fast. What are you teaching them daily? Where did you learn these lessons to teach them? Don’t let any daily business mess with your chance to make a memory with your child. You are not only influencing your child, but your children’s children in the future. What do you make time for?
You are old enough and have been through hard times in your life. You may have given up that the doctors can help you. You are old enough to have no hope in political power. Usually the people who are closest to death are the one’s who get what life is all about. The person on their death bed does not say, “I wish I would have made more money.” Instead, they have regrets about not spending more time with their family, preserving history of family, passing on wisdom, stories of how to make it through these hardships, etc.
Build your own Family Time Capsule today and make sure these messages throughout your family gets passed on from your generation, to the next. Make a Family Time Capsule using the blank white Time Capsule shown above to put any photo you want on the outside of it. Also put any other significant photos of your family, or words, quotes, etc on the outside of this decorative tin. Then fill it with meaningful items that show your family’s life story. Your family can open the time capsule years later in the future, and reminisce about what life was like 30 or 50 years ago. What tangible items could you keep in the time capsule, for future generations of your family to enjoy?
What would you put in your Family Time Capsule?
Making Milestone Moments Count,
– Marcie