If I mention the name Albert Einstein, most of us will call to mind a brilliant scientist known for his successes and theories that revolutionized science. Abraham Lincoln conjures images of a master statesman, one who led the United States through one of its darkest periods. If we think of Beethoven or Mozart, we think about the beautiful and inspiring music they created. Famous people abound, and many still look to them today to try and build on the wonderful things they did.
But what if Albert Einstein had just remained a patent clerk? What if Lincoln took his failures to heart and never achieved anything beyond being a lawyer? Without their accomplishments, these revered individuals would just be names, meaningless to almost nobody beyond their immediate families.
This is the philosophy that has helped me with my genealogy of late. Much research had been done on my family, and on every line but one, I have a full six generations worth of names. Instead of just being names, however, I have sought to learn stories of these individuals to help bring them to life. It has been an interesting exercise, as some of the stories have been faith promoting and others not so much, but as I seek out the heritage that these individuals have left behind, suddenly the idea of spending eternity with a family spanning back generations seems more appealing than it was before.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment