Family History & Old Photos

I have about three totes of old photographs that have been taken of family and friends for as far back as to when I was a child. Then, when I became an adult and started having children of my own, I continued to gather even more. Some I've placed in photo albums, but most just ended up in totes, containers or photo boxes. Of course, like everyone else, I kept the more memorable ones out to display in frames throughout my homes. Because I'm an empty nester now, so those photo frames remind me of the full life I have had while growing up and then as my children grew up.

There was a time I had so many framed photos that they filled up my walls and adorned every flat surface in my house. The dusting started to become a task that was getting harder with each photo frame I would add. Eventually, I had a friend that told me that I didn't have room for anything because I had so many pictures hanging or setting everywhere. So one day, I decided to put all those framed pictures into chests and totes. I still keep several out on my credenzas and tables, but they are much fewer than I used to display. It's so much easier to dust as well. My daughter bought me a digital frame that holds hundreds of photos that changes every few seconds to produce happy photographic memories. I love it!!

There are many pictures that were actually handed down to me by my parents as they downsized their collection of memories as they got older. My Dad used to love to take pictures to make into slides. Many times, we would sit for hours just watching him go through all his slide wheels.(Quite often while eating his overly salty popcorn in a huge bowl.) Some were of his military days over in Europe. I truly enjoyed his Europe slides, because I could experience Germany and France without having to actually travel there. Most however, were of our family memories. Many years later, he had all those slides digitalized and had them put on compact discs and made copies for each of my siblings. I would imagine my little sister probably didn't care to receive one as they were most of the times when it was only my brother and I growing up. I wrote previously in a blog about a garden venture we once had and most of the pictures from that time are on the compact disc. It's sad how fast technology has changed, because a lot of memories are now locked into media that is hard to access easily. I know, I have several VHS tapes of my children as they were growing that now are locked in that obsolete media. I know they have places that can pull those pictures off and bring them back, but I just haven't made the effort to have that done.

Every year at Easter time, my Mom's side of the family has a reunion. I have been blessed with receiving many photographs from these events from cousins who have made copies to hand out to us. So now I have a collection of photographed memories from when pictures were taken of our grandparents and as our parents (Aunts and Uncles) were growing up in their childhoods. I also have some cousins who share photographs they have found in their family stockpiles of my brother and I when we were children. They have generously passed those on to me as well.

When I finally have time to sit long enough to reminisce by going through the inventory of past memories, it really is quite interesting to see where my life was at different times. It's wonderful to see the youth of my parents, aunts and uncles. I've now entered the stage where my grandchildren see old pictures of me and will say wow, you were so young and pretty then. It's interesting to see how shocked they are when they realize I was once young too.

Several years back, I did the Ancestry test to find out my origins. Once you are in their system, they send you updates to family trees, etc. in order to entice you to get further into your genealogy.. I attempted to find out about my family tree, but could only go back to three or four generations. However, before this Ancestry thing became a fad, my Mom and a few of my cousins got together and created an extensive family tree of her side of the family. My Mom also included extensions to our family when divorces occurred to show the different smaller branches extending from the original ones. I just recently found the copy and stored it for safe keeping just in case my own children ever develop an interest in learning about their ancestors.

I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have a very extensive genealogy data base where they have kept track of their family histories for centuries. I think it is interesting when families can trace back to times when their ancestors were royalty or famous people. I know I am a child of the one true King. And quite frankly, that's really all I need to know.

I am fascinated by the biblical history of lineage throughout the Bible. I thought about the time and effort it must have taken to be able to track all the family history written. One thing we can be sure of is that all of us were created out of dust and as the result, our lineage beginnings started with Adam and Eve. I understand there are different theories to how we began, but I prefer to believe I was created from another human form that originated from dust by a Creator with intent to create man. I can't wait until we have the brain capacities in heaven to actually start from the beginning to the time we were born to understand our true lineage. Can you imagine what that tree would look like?

Genesis 1:27 -- "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

Genesis 2 -- The story of Adam and Eve.

Genesis 12:1-3: “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”