Saturday, November 21, 2009

I Wonder Who You Are

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. ~Albert Schweitzer

As I work through my family tree, I pause sometimes to wonder what their life was like personally.  I see some of the women were really dig the boots in and survivors. Many of the men were either looking for something better or were adventurers.  How does one go about, without personal testimony of a person, figure out the motivations and inspirations of that person?  I know in my life there have been several who by their service and caring of myself have uplifted me to try to move to higher planes of thought and life.  My late husband introduced me to many different areas of life and encouraged me always to be better.  He was an example to future generations.  He wrote notes, journals, a personal history that gives you a wonderful image of the man himself. 
My grandmothers examples have always given me the "back bone" to never give up, to reach for a spiritual plane.  I just wish I knew who had been for them the encourager and angel to lift them up.  Neither ever talked about their feelings or experiences, and never wrote about themselves. 

Ah, the mysteries that go with learning about who you are and where you came from.

5 comments:

  1. A wonderful post-and you described so well one of the reasons I love looking back in history-always wanting to know more about what 'kind' of person they were.

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  2. Your blog is just delightful! This post describes why I long to know more than names and dates. I also wonder how the women survived such a hard life.

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  3. Great post.....I am a beginner in my genealogy research. I have deep respect for my women ancestors now! I look at the faces of some of my unidentified photos and wonder also.....how did they survive those times!.....Louise

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  4. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It is nice to know we are of kindred spirits.

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  5. This is a great thinking point. I often wonder, too. Learning about the hardships of my ancestors has really helped me put my own issues in perspective.

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