How Did Your Ancestors Feel About Life?

     Stories help us relate to the emotions that our ancestors felt and can create a strong emotional connection with them. As we read or hear those stories, we can begin to empathize with others that may be going through similar circumstances in their lives.

     One letter I have in my possession is the letter written by my great grandfather (on the right) to his wife and oldest daughter, Carol, who were back east visiting. It mentions a heart breaking incident in which his only two boys drowned in the Alameda estuary.

     We also have our own heritage, our life challenges and successes that we need to share with our posterity. We should be active in preserving our thoughts, stories, and testimonies for our posterity to remember us by.

     Take some time to write some brief memories about your life experiences and times filled with emotion, and then SHARE them with your posterity. Along with the story, share your testimony, feelings, or life insights with them as well.

     Ancestral stories can pass on to to their posterity those emotions that tell of their challenges in life and how they may or may not have overcome those challenges. We benefit by reading those old letters, or even listening to tape recordings they may have made. As we begin to feel the emotions that they felt, we become more emotionally connected to them.