COUSIN FEVER

photo by Benjamin Thomas

I just think author A.J. Jacobs' latest project is so cool, and fun.  He has spent over a year creating the largest family tree of all time, interviewing 20-times-removed celebrity cousins and such as he goes.   We know we are all brothers and sisters, right?   "For the first time ever – thanks to mind-boggling advances in the science of family trees – we can figure out how we're related to almost any other human on earth.  It's a revolution," says Jacobs.       story          

Principle in the type:  "Every family has . . . keepsakes.  These include genealogies, family stories, historical accounts, and traditions.  These . . . keepsakes also form a bridge between past and future and bind generations together in ways that no other keepsake can."     Dennis B. Neuenschwander      

            

LENNOX PART 2

photo by The Lowry

Have you got your mother's eyes?  Your grandfather's charm?  Your history was their present.  (If that makes sense in any other minds but mine!) 

Who Do You Think You Are is a great ride.  Annie's episode is no different.  Plus in her journey you get to listen to fantastic accents a Cali girl like me can only dream of.  There is a short clip below.  It's the weekend, so go to YouTube, kick back, and watch the whole thing!  Then go dig out your grandmom's journal or love letters.  It's all good.

"Singer and human rights activist Annie Lennox comes from working-class stock. 'Nobody came from money, nobody had a silver spoon,' she says of her family. Growing up, she was taught that 'hard work' and 'doing the right thing' were important. But why were these values so key to her parents? Are there answers to be found in the past?"  story link






                                    

Principle in the type:  "A life that is not documented is a life that within a generation or two will largely be lost to memory. What a tragedy this can be in the history of a family. Knowledge of our ancestors shapes us and instills within us values that give direction and meaning to our lives."     Dennis B. Neuenschwander

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