Who Do You Think You Are?

I'm working on a project at the moment that I love. There's a clue in the picture above and also in the title of this post. 

Here's an even bigger hint: 

Like the celebrities in the wonderful BBC programme, I'm trying to find some answers to the question of who I think I am. Don't we know who we are?  

I love this photo. The little girl in it is my mother. My mother! It just illustrates to me that the question of who we are isn't a simple snapshot in time. 

When I'm looking at the names of those in my family line I get excited. I'm using Family Search to locate the people whose genes contributed to my biological structure - people who may have much more in common with me than I can know right now.  

It's magic. Honestly, magic. I feel like some of the names and dates and places I've found that are connected to me are screaming out to me - it's in my blood!  

One thing that has been wonderful is spending some time reading notes that my brilliant Granddad had written about his family growing up. I think he was rather dashing as a young man: 

In a lot of ways, he's my hero. He died of cancer three years ago. It was a shocking thing, really, to discover that he wasn't invincible. Granddad's father died when he was three and he took over running the family business when his sister died when he was sixteen. She told him he was now capable of being the head of the family. Now I understand something about his early days I feel like I understand something about his character. A hard worker, a family man, full of humour! 

I am so glad to have those memories that he left. 

So here's the challenge for you: 

Talk to your older relatives about life before you! 

Ask them about the family they were born into. 

Ask about the people they loved and lost along the way. 

People have stories to tell. 

Take a dictaphone - treasures will just keep coming.