Why Write?

We as genealogists and family historians know the value of records first hand.  We know how important they are to us personally and how they connect us to ancestors that would be lost without the writing and efforts of others to create them.  When people were silent, records still reveal their lives, their comings and goings, their triumphs and their even their secrets.  Contrary to the popular notion that a secret from the past was taken to his or her grave to be buried and forgotten...that is often not the case.

The decisions we make, both seemingly insignificant or huge do impact the course of our family history and our posterity from that time forth.  Think of the simple act of moving to a new location and how that affects generations in the future.  My parents moved from Minnesota to California a month before I was born.  That changed everything for me, my history and my posterity.

Wouldn't it be best if we kept track of our own lives and recorded it. The records that are public we have very little say over.  But what about the color of our lives?  The things that made us who we have become?  What we learned from the triumphs and failures of others?   Or our own?

I am not saying to divulge every little thing we have done that may have a negative or even positive effect on our posterity. Most mistakes are between us and Lord and trying to straighten them out after the fact is called repentance.   In the rare event that we have something that will be recorded publicly, maybe we would want to tell our own side of the story, even if we leave it in a safe deposit box or some place to be found after we are gone.

But at the very least shouldn't we keep a record of the good things and events both good or bad that taught us things, that helped us to improve and grow and learn.  That way the important things in our lives will not go slipping by like sand through our fingers and be lost.  Those thousand and one things that have meaning to us can be cherished and preserved through our writing and the recording of them.

Winston Churchill stated that history would remember him in a favorable light.  When asked why he said, "Because I intend to write it myself!"  He did write it.  He is indeed, remembered favorably to many in the world.  Our goal is not to be remembered as a perfect individual as we all know that is not the case.  But perhaps the goal is to be remembered and understood.  Who can explain who we are better than us?  We are the only ones that truly understand our heart, our motives and our intentions.  Do we want someone else speculating on those things after we are gone?  I don't.  I bet you don't either.

I saw these two quote on The Family Search Blog yesterday and thought them to be very intriguing.  

Leonardo Di Vinci

"There are three classes of people; those who see, those who see when they are shown, and those who do not see."

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.  Knowing is not enough; we must apply.  Being willing is not enough; we must do."

This has been a good reminder to me to keep at it.  To keep writing when I wonder if anyone really benefits from it.  I have always known I do but I want it to help others as well.  I learned two very valuable lessons about this over the Christmas break.  I want to get permission to write the story and as soon as I do I will be sharing it here.