Another
year is past, another year is before us.
Last
January, in my newsletter message, I mentioned how, as genealogists, we are so
used to looking at the past, that we forget to look to the future. I suggested
that perhaps we needed to start looking forward, becoming the record and story
keepers we wished our ancestors had been. Well, I am sorry to report that I am
not much better this past year than in years past.
Recently
my wife pointed out an article to me in the January 2019, issue of Parents
magazine, “How to Remember Even More Good Times” by Matthew Dicks, (you can
read the article at http://tiny.cc/fhsajan19). In the article he discusses
those little stories that happen every day in our lives and how, later, we
wished we had written them down.
He
created a simple Excel spreadsheet, a small notebook would work, with only two
columns. Column A lists the date. Column B, just large enough for a sentence or
two, lists just a snippet of the event, just enough to jog his memory. A couple
of examples he gave: “The first time my daughter ran into dance class on her
own, telling me to stay in the car” and “the time my son told me that it’s not
helpful when a doctor says it will only pinch but it really hurts.” Now he has
over 27 pages and over 3,500 entries.
What
a wonderful idea. How many times have you said, “I wish I had written that
down”? I know there are too many for me.
Please
take the time and check out his article, it has been a game changer for me.
So,
for 2019, let’s all set aside a little time, and make sure we are recording
those small, precious moments that make life meaningful.
Just
set aside a few minutes, some time in the day, but just do it. First thing,
last thing, at noon, whenever. Let’s not just record our genealogies but start
creating Family Histories.
Richard
Young, FHSA President (2017-2019)
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