Without a doubt, we all owe a debt of gratitude to our immigrant ancestors, because without their courage either we would not be here or our lives would be completely different. There are many characteristics we might associate with them: integrity, inspiration, intelligence, independence or initiative. Unless they were “doctors, lawyers, or Indian chiefs”, as … More Inspiration and Influence of Immigrants
One of the most important things we can be grateful for is the gift of good health. Not everyone is so fortunate, but my DNA health inheritance has been predominantly healthy. Those health issues which I have had to deal with have been responsive to good medical care – how very grateful we can be … More Gratitude for Health
Gifts may seem a very materialistic focus for our gratitude, but are they really? What we’re thanking the giver for, is their time and thoughtfulness in choosing something they think we’ll like or need. Quite often a gift may have an ordinary cash value, but an extraordinary emotional value simply because the person has found … More Gratitude for Gifts
Food and festivities go together like the proverbial horse and cart. How many of our memories are associated with the pleasures of family and friends coming together to celebrate an event and inevitably a spread of culinary treats is involved? There’s a reason why we’re missing these gatherings during the pandemic as they bring us … More Food and Festivities
One of the main things I’ve been grateful for in my life has been the gift of education. At a time when not all girls or young women were given the opportunity to complete a secondary education, I was lucky enough to be given that at a good school with strong social justice values. Not … More Education and Gratitude
In this series I am thinking of the things that I value and I’m grateful for in my own life, then I’m trying to find examples within my family history. Are they direct inheritances, examples of ancestors or pure chance? DETERMINATION The difference between men is in energy, in the strong will, in the settled … More Determination and DNA
Part of our sense of contentment and gratitude is our context in the community and our network of family, friends and neighbours. The American genealogist, Elizabeth Shown Mills has called this the FAN principle or the Friends, Associates and Neighbours network. In earlier times, research was also done into these extended connections but the acronym … More Community and Customs
It’s an intriguing question: what is bravery and what is courage? I’ve seen bravery as fortitude in the face of a challenge, perhaps even a private challenge, whereas courage is more of a one-off Victoria Cross kind of event. On discussions with Mr Cassmob he felt it was the opposite. Dictionaries didn’t enlighten us much … More Bravery in Family History
It seems to me that attitude is inextricably linked to gratitude. How we see things and our experiences is pivotal to being grateful – or is it vice versa? At least from time to time, our attitudes aren’t always aligned with what might lead us to strength and gratitude. How did our ancestors experience their … More Attitudes and Gratitude
A couple of months ago I mapped out my 2020 plan for the A to Z blogging challenge. Little did anyone know the curve ball that was coming towards us at speed. The theme seems now to be even more pertinent. How do we value gratitude in these difficult times and how did our ancestors … More A2Z 2020 Theme
Family history across the seas 