Finding my roots

This month I will participate in the Slice of Life Challenge!

My goal is to Write. Share. Give. each & every day of March.  

Check out Two Writing Teachers for more info!

One of my favorite shows on TV is Finding Your Roots.  Henry Louis Gates hosts a family history show with celebrities and uses both traditional genealogy methods and DNA tests to give the guests information on their family tree.

It is powerful.  Last night's episode included Dustin Hoffman.  Seeing how moved Mr. Hoffman became with the revelations he learned was poignant and inspiring. 

I thought a lot about that episode today. 

I know that working on my own family tree has given me such a sense of purpose and connection. Perhaps it sounds a bit over-the-top, but knowing these connections just makes everything make more sense to me.  History is real in a way that it never was before, no longer just dates with corresponding names of battles.

I also thought about this when I did a read-aloud to seniors this week.  I read the first chapter of Catcher in the Rye to two different classes of senior AP English.  After reading (I got applause!) I mentioned that one reason I love this book is that it makes my parents/grandparents seem more real in a way. I mean, I know they're real---but that folks living in different ages throughout history were more than faces in sepia photos and paragraphs in dusty books. Published in 1946, it shows that we haven't really changed all that much. It connects us through our similarities (and disdain for phonies.) 

So today I remind myself that I descend from Viking kings and Highland warriors. My people kept moving and seeking and did.not.stop. no matter the odds. 

I remind myself that my OLW is INVICTUS and that I chose it based on my knowledge of my family history. If you've read my other posts this week, you know it has been a bit of a tough one, but...

I will not be defeated.

I remain unconquered. 

I am connected to those who came before me. 

I am here because they carried on despite any obstacles. 

The blood in my very veins carries the strength of centuries.

I'm ready to carpe diem the heck out of the next two days before spring break, y'all.  I'm back.