Today, many people are interested in their family
heritage, looking into their family history in order to find where their
ancestors came from. But there is much
more to genealogy than in just learning about your family lineage. Many look at their family tree and look at
all of the branches of their tree and then see just how big of a tree that they
are part of, but again, these people are missing the bigger picture, the one that
can’t be seen.
Alex Haley, in his book Roots, had the right idea
for the title. Each one of us is the
beginning of an even greater heritage.
Each one of us has the ability to grow larger. Look at the simple mathematics of how a
family grows. If one man and one woman
have four children, then in just one generation there are five. If each of these children have four children,
now the family in two generations has expanded to sixteen. From there the third generation grows to 64,
the forth generation grows to 256, the fifth to 1,024, and the sixth to 4,096. Granted we are talking averages and some will
have no children and some will have more, but the general point can be seen
from this example.
The point is that each of us can and will affect many
other lives yet to come. Our ancestors
are not the branches of the family; they are the roots of the family. We are branches that grow outward from the
trunk, which represents our parents and grandparents. And the leaves and twigs are generations yet
to be. They are the future. They are what will make the lives we lead,
the lessons we teach, the values and morals that we instill, live on. And according to how well of a job we do
determines just how beautiful and large of a tree that will be produced.
My roots are strong.
The trunk of my tree is large, round, and full. My branch shows leaves growing that will
produce great beauty in the very near future.
This is all possible because of the lives my parents and grandparents
lived. The trials and tribulations, the
love and laughter, the joy and the sorrow, the lessons, the memories, the
sharing of the Word are all part of what makes me who I am, which in turn
shapes my own family.
It is my prayer that I may have the faith, the patience,
the strength, the wisdom, and the attitude to be an integral part of my tree.
August
14, 1999
 |
| Dec 20, 2010 |
