The following comes from Family Search. To read the full post, CLICK HERE.
October is officially Family History Month. This designation goes back more than 20 years, just 2 and a half weeks after the traumatic events of 9/11. The bill passed by the United States Senate includes a long list of reasons why October should be Family History Month, including this statement:
Whereas individuals learn about their ancestors who worked so hard and sacrificed so much, their commitment to honor their ancestors’ memory by doing good is increased; Whereas interest in our personal family history transcends all cultural and religious affiliations…
You can read the rest of the bill at Congress.gov.. The senators’ justifications are right in line with what sociologists, mental health professionals, and other experts have been saying for years—as described in these 2 articles that were published in The New York Times: “The Family Stories that Bind Us” and “Why You Should Dig Up Your Family’s History and How to Do It”
In short, family history is a powerful catalyst for uniting not just families, but entire communities. Learning about your ancestors can make you more resilient in the face of challenges and setbacks.
How to Celebrate Family History Month
The great thing about an official month (as opposed to an official holiday) is that you have a lot more time to celebrate. And you don’t have to worry about fitting all of your favorite activities into a single afternoon or evening.
Celebrating Family History Month, in particular, is low pressure. You can choose 1 or 2 activities that are important to you and plan a day to enjoy them, or just look for random moments throughout the day or week to think about your family story and what it means to you.
For a professional genealogist, family history might mean writing a book-length biography about a specific ancestor or tracing a family line into the Middle Ages and beyond. (You’re going to need some extra time on your hands for that one!)
For many of us, though, family history is much more simple and everyday—like telling a child about a favorite Christmas memory or framing a beloved family photo and hanging it somewhere in the home.
31 Simple Ways to Celebrate Family History Month
These are ideas that you can pick and choose as you like. Or better yet, you could come up with a fun idea of your own—something that won’t take too much planning and that you could possibly share with a friend, relative, or member of your family.
To read the full post, CLICK HERE.
