Finding My Long Lost Family! (They Weren't so Lost After all)




I left off to a great adventure as a church missionary at the age of 23.  What I found astounded me.  I had always known about the legacy of my dad's side of the family but didn't think much of my mom's history.  After all, they were the educated ones who surely would pass down the cool stories if we had any.  My dad came from a father who didn't even finish middle school.  They came from a small pacific island and we heard great stories of our legacy and our legendary great grandmother who had braved death threats and divorce if she were to join the Mormon church, she did anyways.

My mom's side? Meh... Nothing special there, so I thought!

At the Oakland temple there is a great family history center.  We were encouraged to share about families often and invite people to go to the visitors center and learn our message on families.  Because of this strong push I wanted to make sure I took that challenge myself.  It was so easy! I logged into the family tree website from the church and BOOM!  There it was! Hundreds of generations of family history right before my eyes that I had never seen before.  I was in awe.  How could I not know these things?

Pioneers? I had pioneers in my family? My ancestors had come across the plains? My ancestors were some of the earliest saints? No... How could no one have told me this?

It was amazing to find these historical stories and facts of my family tree.  I shared them with excitement to my siblings, most of who are inactive and have never hear these family narratives.  These stories brought me a sense of pride and identity.  A sense that I had never felt so strongly and the result of which is found in the article The Stories That Bind Us.

"Dr. Duke said that children who have the most self-confidence have what he and Dr. Fivush call a strong “intergenerational self.” They know they belong to something bigger than themselves."

 I found that I belonged to something bigger than myself.  There was confidence and pride filling my heart.  Strength came from the knowledge I gained of my family history and where I come from.  This article spoke truth to my heart as I remembered my own experience is finding my family narrative.

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