Family History Tourism?Posted by admin on November 21st, 2009

I met a couple last night who, upon the discovering the names and vital information for their ancestors in England, took a summer vacation to the actual parish from whence the records came. They visited the church that had held the records for centuries. They walked the cobbled streets that had likely felt the soles of their ancestors almost every day for the length of their mortal life. They insisted that this experience had done more for their understanding of their forebears than any record ever could. This got me thinking about the usefulness of family history tourism.

There seem to be a lot of things we can get out of visiting places that we just can’t get from reading their vital dates. A few summers ago, I took my family to Hawaii to the North Shore that had been home to my family since the 1800s. The people I met all had something to say about my forebears. I walked in the place where my grandparents had been married. We drove past the sugar factory my grandfather built and managed. In the air, the trees, and in the water, I seemed to feel a kinship. 

I had heard all of these stories before, but being in the actual places made it real for me. Every place I went seemed to drive home the fact that my ancestors were real people, with real lives full of events large and small. 

So, what do you think? Is it worth the plane ticket to draw closer to your roots? Can you get that feeling of kinship in any other way?



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Is finding health risks in family history such a good thing?Posted by admin on October 23rd, 2009

If you google ‘family history’ in the news section, you’re likely to get a bunch of results about how scientists are linking breast cancer, schizophrenia, and a host of other maladies to family history. Millions of dollars, it seems, are being spent every year on research that seeks to find the warning signs of illnesses in our ancestors, probably with the ultimate goal of eliminating or counteracting these diseases at or before birth. Anyone who has seen the superb sci fi movie Gattaca, however, knows that this kind of over-forecasting can get out of control.

 
For the uninitiated, Gattaca tells the story of a young man who, according to his DNA, is predicted to die at age thirty-something of heart failure. Also, because he was conceived naturally- unlike most of his counterparts-, he is treated as a lower class and is limited to menial work. Going into space- his lifelong dream- is forbidden for him. In short, genetics have become another form of harsh discrimination.
 
Is this where our society is headed? Will we be so hasty to make genetic forecasts that we will limit others and ourselves? 
 
I like to believe that, DNA notwithstanding, it is our choices that make us who we are, it is the good or bad influences we choose to let into our lives that determine our strength or weakness. People born with deformed legs can scale the highest mountains. Men who can’t talk or even move can unravel the mysteries of the universe. 
 
I hope we will never get too carried away with genetic prophecy or with treating maladies for that matter. Sickness is a difficult, but often instructive, part of life.


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Families Having a Harder Time Keeping UpPosted by admin on October 1st, 2009

Even as the White House and so-called economic experts insist the recession has bottomed out and is improving again, more and more families are finding it harder to make ends meet. Dozens of states are experiencing rising demand for Medicaid, food stamps, and other social services. And unemployment is sticking at 9 percent- higher if you don’t believe the official story. Families have to be more resourceful than ever to keep their heads above water.

To adjust, interesting trends are taking shape. Increasing numbers of mothers are returning to the work force or to school. Families are cutting way back on credit card usage and other discretionary spending. They are moving into smaller homes or going from owning a home to renting. Many are eating from their own gardens, even in very urban areas. They are eating out less and buying fewer big screens.

The real question is, how long can families keep up this pace and still listen to the "experts" tell them everything is getting better? There is a gap between the perception in Washington and the reality that American families are seeing, and somehow those two perceptions need to be reconciled. Until then, our country risks growing discontent.



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