A genealogy website I use has informed me that October is National Family History Month, a designation that was bestowed by Congress in 2001. As the oldest of four children, three of whom were born in October, I can’t think of a better month to celebrate family. I haven’t been spending as much time on the genealogy sites lately, though, because of so many weekends and events centered around family, the first being a trip to Wisconsin on Labor Day weekend to celebrate September birthdays, a trip I didn’t make, as explained in A Different State of Mind.
As mid-September arrived, we were able to make good on a plan to take Kyle, Eric, and his wife Amanda to see a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game. Their weekend stay, highlighted by the game, church, and meals shared around our table will be long remembered. A few days later, my two sisters arrived for a visit, spending several days with us, talking, eating, shopping, playing Quiddler, making memories.
October brought another weekend visit from Eric and Amanda as they took part in a somewhat historic celebration day at our church on Sunday. It was my great joy to have Eric included in our outdoor program of music, food, and fellowship. As the weekend approached, I longed to get my mom here from Upper Sandusky so she could hear Eric play piano and sing and me play flute duets with a friend. When my devoted husband offered to travel to her home and bring her back, a tag team of drivers was arranged to enable her to come and spend the night, attend the celebration, watch some football with Dave, and return home.
So special to play a song together with Eric like we did when he was at home.
That Saturday night, I went to sleep with a heart full of peace and contentment, having my husband, both sons and our daughter-in-law, and my mother all under our roof. We had shared a home cooked meal ending with an unexpected made-from-scratch cake that Mom brought along, frosted and covered with sprinkles, for an early birthday celebration for me. While enjoying the treat, I asked Mom if she had a recipe for her Chiffon Cake or just made it from memory. That’s when the real treat came as she told the story of being a fourth grader with a mean teacher who was replaced during the year by Miss Hueberger, a nice lady who, having heard that Mom was learning to bake, brought the cake recipe to her. Mom has enjoyed baking ever since and passed that joy along to her daughters. That story and the cake recipe are bit of family history worth preserving.
Lots of surprises and smiles in our family with Mom’s visit.
As another weekend approaches, I’m planning a meal and packing a suitcase in preparation for a few special days to be spent at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania with my husband’s brother and sisters and their spouses. We began taking vacations together nearly a decade ago. The time spent in a beautiful place, sharing meals, seeing sights, playing cards, and laughing as old family stories are told, becomes more precious each year.
It’s those family stories, some heard again and again, others, like Mom’s cake recipe story, spontaneously told for the first time, that make family history more than just dates and places. As I do genealogy research, filling in the birth dates, marriage dates, and dates of death, I’m delighted when a family member has recorded a memory, a story that captures who my ancestor was, or when an old document includes a signature of “my person” and I imagine him signing that marriage license or death certificate.
A bit of research on National Family History Month turned up a website called Talk of a Lifetime, a program created by The Funeral and Memorial Information Council to “help families have important conversations about the things that matter most to them and how a person’s life story can be remembered and honored in a meaningful way.” One of our family treasures is a recorded interview that my cousin did with our grandma, Mom’s mother. I love hearing her tell about my dad wanting his firstborn to be a son and then I was born. Grandma recalled saying to him, “Maybe the next one will be a boy,” but he replied, “I don’t care if it’s another girl.” I guess I won his heart. He had three girls before my brother was born.
Dad’s hand on my head.
Back to having The Talk of a Lifetime. Here’s a link to a free printable workbook that explains why and how to talk to your relative about his or her life. It contains suggested questions and pages for recording information that is collected.
Remember the days of old;
consider the generations long past.
Ask your father and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will explain to you.
Deuteronomy 32:7, The Bible
Maybe once all of these special weekends filled with family visits and trips have passed, I’ll get back to researching the past. For now, we’ll enjoy our time together, make memories and maybe a bit of history.
Our 2017 group at Seven Springs with me on far right.
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.Psalm 89:1