Echoes From The Past

~ The Story Tellers ~

This is a wonderful piece by Tom Dunn. He describes, so eloquently, my feelings, as one of "the chosen" in my family. Hopefully, my children and my children's children will continue the search, so that all is not lost... Jackie

The Story Tellers

Written by Tom Dunn

The Story Tellers....we are the chosen, or why I am so fascinated
("obsessed") with Genealogy.

My feelings are that 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 and 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, and 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.