Looking Backward to See the Future

I’ve had this personal domain for many years. The advent of the Internet was like a giant creative cookie jar for me.  I jumped right in creating web pages in 1995, when it was rudimentary to say the least. There are threads that run through my life like mystic guidelines. Only with age have I begun to appreciate and celebrate how much those threads have brought me pleasure.

As a result, my favorite things are now ensconced in their own web sites, and I have decided to dedicate this one to recording my family’s history.  When my oldest daughter gave me a scrapbook of research on our family, as well as notes she made while talking to my aunt, who also cherished our history, she introduced me to the very entertaining hobby of researching the past.

From that came the inspiration for my first novel, which is based not on my family history, but loosely upon the story of my neighbor’s ancestress.

Researching the past gives you such an insight into what’s happening in our lives today.  It lets us know that not much happens that hasn’t happened before, to one degree or another.

For all of our technological advances and the multitudes of toys our society enjoys, I can’t help but wonder if we aren’t missing out on the simple pleasures our ancestors enjoyed, which involved interpersonal group activities – singing on the veranda or porch at night, family members playing instruments for one another, buggy rides in the countryside, dances that involved all ages.

One thing that is happening is unique. Our society grows more compartmentalized with the use of more and more electronic devices. Already the inability of the younger generation to communicate well IN PERSON is shocking.

So, I hope you enjoy my journey backwards, as I discover the people who gave me my characteristics, both stremgths and weaknesses.  Getting to know them better has made me feel wonderful.