genealogy

I never met either my maternal or paternal grandparents as they were all
deceased by the time I was born.  When I was 18, my dad gave me a box
filled with old -fashioned looking pictures.  He said these are your relatives
but with no names; I'm not sure who they are.  So began my quest to find
out who they were.  That was in 1961.  I now know who they all are thanks
to many trips back to Ireland and talking to the people who could identify
them.  This was all done in the days before computers.  The last relative
I found was my mother's father, Michael Ronan.  I found the place where
he was born and raised.  It was such a good feeling to put in that last
puzzle piece. Today we are lucky to have the access to so much information
but still don't have the actual stories told by those who remember them.
While you are blessed with the storytellers in your family, get a video or
recorder and just sit down and talk.  Someday you will be so happy you did.
Get them to recite a poem or sing a song they liked....what a treat to hear
their voices years after they are gone.  Do it today...don't put it off.
Do it as a Christmas present for yourself and your kids.