Importance of Family History

This week in class we have been discussing a person's history and how it relates to communication. I discovered during this how important knowing of your personal family history can be to a person. I know very little about my family history. From what I have gathered it just didn't seem important to my family. Although I was raised primarily by my mother I actually know the most about my fathers history than my mom's, and even that is minimal. After reading the text and reading some discussion from my classmates I realize this is an important thing for me to be missing. Having a knowledge of where your family came from and the struggles or triumphs they endured can really impact how a person feels about themselves and their family. It gives a sense of pride to have a story to pass down to your own children and information to share in daily life regarding your past. It can also help to bring a family closer together by giving them a historical tie to reminisce about and feel proud of. There can also be a sense of belonging to a particular group such as a religious background or ethnic identity. I know nothing of where my ancestors came from except for the fact that my paternal grandmother was of Navajo descent. I was raised with really no religious affiliation. My mother has an atheist view toward religion whereas my maternal grandmother said she was Lutheran although I never saw or heard of her going to church. These were the two most influential people in my lives while growing up and it left me confused as to what to believe religiously. I saw my friends going to church and participating in the activities their churches offered and I thought that was something I would like. Just to feel like I belonged to a group of some kind or had some type of community to relate to.

I have now realized how important having a "story" can be to a person. I try to gather as much information about my husband's and my families so my kids can have as much historical information on our family as possible. I try to make sure that we are involved in our community and groups so they can feel that sense of belonging that I did not as a child.