The Family Tree.

We all are part of a family tree; whether we know much about it is another story. It was not until about 10 years ago that I had any idea where my family originated. I knew it was in Europe, but was not sure where the location was; my family is from the Ukraine. That doesn’t tell me a lot, but it does provide me with a spot on the map.

I have to believe since the Internet has come on the scene that learning more about your family, from available information on the web, has to have made it easier to learn more about your its roots. I do wish we could go back in time and hear some of the stories about my Dad’s Dad’s Dad and beyond. (Did you follow me on that one?) Once my grandparents moved to the U.S. a lot was left behind; I probably will never know anything about what took place---unfortunately when they are gone, they take their history with them.

There is a new show on the air now where celebrities have the opportunity to go back and find out more about their families; where they came from, what they encountered, and what type of “bloodlines” they have. These are not pure breads, these are people---but we all have our stories. On this show---it’s hosted Lisa Kudrow who starred on “Friends”---she takes some very famous people back to the times when they were not famous, because they weren’t alive.

Our family tree is truly a hybrid of families; it’s part of the rolling of the dice when two people fall in love and decide to have a family. I know for instance my Mom’s side was made up of very tall men ---this was back in the days when six feet was considered very tall. Based upon the stories I have heard, some of my Mom’s relatives were well over 6’4.” (I am fortunate to have inherited these genes---they also had heart problems, I am hoping those passed me by.)

One of the other genes that must be present in our families is the desire to work hard; sure we have all taken many different career paths, but if you look at both sides of our family you will find artists, attorneys, real estate magnets, and many other careers deeply rooted in the tree. One other point of interest…we have all gone and graduated college. This is one area I will not let fall through the cracks with my kids---education is something that has been instilled in brother, my sister and me. We are not unique to other families this is just our tree.

The photo above is actually our family tree. It’s located in the backyard of my folk’s home where I grew up. When it was planted it was not more than 6 feet tall and today is probably more than 10 times that height. Like any family tree, you will find as time passes, it will develop deep roots and rise upward; some of the branches shoot out in crazy directions, those would be the unique characteristics that make up our family tree.

Thanks for stopping by.